NORTHERN IRELAND

Ministerial Meetings

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent meetings with the political parties in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Glasgow, South (Mr. Harris), Official Report, cols. 244–45.

IRA

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the current level of IRA activities.

Shaun Woodward: The recent IMC report stated that the Provisional IRA continues to recruit and train new members. It continues to be involved in organised crime, and in paramilitary beatings and exiling. It is now time for all paramilitary activity and criminality to come to an end.

Security (North Belfast)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the security situation in north Belfast; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Despite a number of incidents in North Belfast recently, the police have assured me they will have the resources to manage any foreseeable incidents which may occur.

Education

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with plans to reform the structure of education in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Northern Ireland's new post-primary arrangements are not about changing the structure of education. They are about providing real choice and flexibility for children by keeping options open and raising standards for all. Existing school types will continue and we offer access to a wider range of courses through the entitlement framework. We remain on schedule to put key arrangements in place before 2008, when the final transfer tests take place.

Influenza

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the stockpiling of antiviral drugs in the Province to protect against an outbreak of influenza.

Shaun Woodward: Earlier this year my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Health approved a flexible plan to purchase stocks of anti-virals for the whole of the UK. The Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith) agreed that Northern Ireland would co-join with the other parts of the UK in the two-year purchasing plan and subject to Department of Finance giving approval, funding for the purchase is available within existing resources. Discussions are ongoing about delivery plans to the province.

Northern Bank Robbery

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in the investigations into the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in 2004.

Shaun Woodward: The investigation into the Northern Bank robbery on 20 December 2004 is ongoing and continues to be one of the largest investigations currently undertaken by the PSNI. By the very nature of the crime committed, the investigation is complex, methodical and resource intensive and to date over 3,300 separate investigative actions have been raised. PSNI remain committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice but as with any serious crime investigation, the police will only conduct searches or make arrests at a time that is in the best interests of the investigation and the administration of justice.

Abortion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he will take to ensure adequate consultation with (a) the public and (b) interested organisations in relation to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's development of guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The terms of the Court of Appeal Order require the Department to consider what steps it should take to inquire into the adequacy of termination of pregnancy services provided in Northern Ireland (including aftercare); and following such inquiry, and after appropriate consultation with concerned organisations, issue appropriate guidance. Once the draft guidance has been produced, the Department will consult with concerned organisations.

Abortion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the minutes of meetings of the Working Party on guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Departmental Working Group met on 21 January 2005 to consider the way forward on the court of appeal judgment and the minutes of this meeting are available on request from Family Policy Unit within the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Abortion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what workshops the Working Party drawing up guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland has held; and if he will publish the reports of such meetings.

Shaun Woodward: In order to inform the development of guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland, a workshop was organised on 4 May. The purpose of the workshop was to provide the opportunity for some initial consideration into what individuals/groups require guidance, what this guidance should contain and how best to take this work forward.
	Given the exploratory nature of the meeting and to enable a free and frank exchange of views, no formal record was taken, but it was agreed that guidance would be needed for the General Public, Clinicians and GPs. It was also concluded that guidance should cover issues such as conscientious objection, informed consent, and consistency in recording of decisions and good clinical practice.

Abortion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the Working Party on the development of guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland to report to the Department.

Shaun Woodward: Work has already commenced but given the complex nature of this issue it is difficult to determine what the time scale for completion of guidance will be. We will take this work forward as expeditiously as possible.

Belfast City Airport

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the review of the planning agreement affecting Belfast City airport.

Angela Smith: The Department of Environment is currently considering a number of options on how best to progress this review and expects to be able to make an announcement on the way forward in early July 2005.

Carers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated by his Department to help unpaid carers in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: In 2004–05, the Social Security Agency paid £84.5 million in Carers Allowance. In addition, the Health and Personal Social Services provides support for carers with assessed needs through its social care programmes. Information on this expenditure is gathered by service, rather than reason for care and it is therefore not possible to specify how much was spent directly on carers. In 2005–06, an additional investment of £400,000 is being made in the development of flexible and responsive respite services, which will be of direct benefit to carers.

Contracted-out Employees (Terms and Conditions)

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Government's commitment to ensure that workers employed by the private sector doing work previously done in the public sector do not have less favourable terms and conditions than those who remain employed by the public sector applies in Northern Ireland in the same way as it does in the rest of the UK.

Angela Smith: The Government are committed to ensuring that work forces in Northern Ireland continue to receive the same protection as in the rest of the UK, in line with government policy as set out in the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Public Sector Contracts" announced by the Prime Minister on 18 March. Work is being taken forward to apply this Code formally in Northern Ireland as quickly as possible. A copy of the code is available at the following website: http:7/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/opsr/workforce_reform/code_of_practice/index. asp

Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the (a) funding and (b) provision of drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested on funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation is not available centrally.
	Rehabilitation is an integral part of all drug and alcohol treatment whether community or in-patient based. The cost of this generic rehabilitation cannot be disaggregated from the total costs of such programmes. The majority of drug rehabilitation can and does take place in the community as part of an overall community care and rehabilitation programme and provision exists within each board area to refer individuals to rehabilitation centres outside Northern Ireland if deemed to be clinically appropriate.
	I will write to the hon. Lady about provision within the non-statutory sector as soon as the information is received from Health and Social Services Boards.

Environmental Protection Agency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to create an independent environmental protection agency in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: In May 2004 a coalition of environmental non-governmental organisations launched a report for public consultation, by Professor Richard Macrory, entitled Transparency and Trust: Reshaping Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland. In October 2004 the coalition published an analysis of the comments received and indicated that the majority of respondents were in favour of the establishment of an independent environment protection body in Northern Ireland.
	I met with the coalition on 2 November 2004 and agreed that the Department of the Environment would explore in detail with the coalition the possible terms of reference for such an inquiry. Those discussions are continuing.

Fuel Poverty

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on measures to tackle fuel poverty.

David Hanson: None, however officials within the Department for Social Development are in regular contact with their colleagues in other parts of the UK to monitor developments in their fuel poverty strategies and their steps to tackle fuel poverty.

Health Policy (Strangford)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Strangford constituency, the effects on Strangford of health policies implemented by his Department since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: There have been improvements in the number of deaths and in life expectancy of the residents of the Strangford parliamentary constituency since 1997:
	The overall death rate has fallen in the constituency from 9.27 per 1,000 persons in 1998 to 8.19 in 2003.
	Life expectancy for males has increased from 74.8 years to 77.0 and for females from 79.5 years to 81.7 years since 1997.
	Deaths due to circulatory disease have reduced from 3.66 per 1,000 in 1997 to 3.22 per 1,000 persons in 2003.
	Deaths due to respiratory disease have reduced from 1.73 per 1,000 in 1997 to 1.30 per 1,000 in 2003.

Literacy Teaching

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to initiate a review of literacy teaching in primary schools in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Under the School Improvement Programme, a Literacy (and Numeracy) Strategy is in place. The Literacy Strategy is updated annually, in consultation with Education and Library Boards, to ensure that it is meeting the needs of pupils and schools.

Multiple Sclerosis (Beta Interferon)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many multiple sclerosis sufferers are receiving Beta Interferon in each health board; how many were waiting for the drug in each board in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The number of people in each Health and Social Services Board area receiving disease modifying treatment for multiple sclerosis (beta interferon or glatiramer acetate) is as follows:
	
		
			 Health and social services board Number receiving treatment 
		
		
			 Eastern 219 
			 Northern 177 
			 Southern 104 
			 Western 73 
			 NI total 573 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures include 22 patients who have started a course of treatment but are currently on a break from treatment.
	Information about waiting lists for disease modifying treatments was not routinely collected prior to May 2004. The number of patients waiting for treatment in May 2004 and May 2005 was as follows:
	
		
			  Health and social services board Number waiting to begin treatment at 31 May 2004 Number waiting to begin treatment at 31 May 2005 
		
		
			 Eastern 19 37 
			 Northern 28 42 
			 Southern 12 10 
			 Western 14 17 
			 NI Total 73 106 
		
	
	The Department remains committed to improving access to specialist drugs which offer the potential for significant improvement in patient care. Disease modifying treatments for people with multiple sclerosis have been available in Northern Ireland since the mid-1990s. In recent years, substantial additional funding has been made available to Health and Social Services Boards for a wide range of specialist medicines, including beta interferon. Funding has also been provided to support the infrastructure for the provision of disease modifying treatment for people with multiple sclerosis.

NHS Employment (Foreign Nationals)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many foreign nationals have applied for employment within the national health service in Northern Ireland over the last three years, broken down by type of employment.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the nationality of applicants for employment is not held.

Pension Rights

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will amend the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee regulations to allow partners of deceased pensioners the same pension rights as widows and widowers of deceased pensioners.

Angela Smith: There are no plans to introduce such benefits at present, other than those required for civil partners under the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
	The Northern Ireland Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations, administered by the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee, in common with those in Scotland, maintain broad parity with the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Regulations in England and Wales.
	The possibility of further extending survivor benefits in the LGPS in England and Wales to include same or opposite sex partners, other than spouses or civil partners was one of the propositions included in the consultation document Facing the Future", published by the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in October 2004. The consultation document is available on the ODPM website at www.xoq83.dial.pipex.com. The Deputy Prime Minister has recently established a committee comprising employer, trade union and ODPM representatives to consider and negotiate the long-term future of the LGPS.

Planning Applications

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retrospective planning applications were (a) approved and (b) rejected in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years.

Angela Smith: The Planning Service does not record separate information on retrospective planning applications, as these applications are dealt with in the same way as standard planning applications. As this information is not routinely collected, it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Planning Policy

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give a date for the publication of the draft retail planning policy document for Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: It is hoped that draft planning policy statement 5—Retailing, Town Centres and Commercial Leisure Developments will be published shortly.

Hoax Calls (Emergency Services)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many telephone calls to the emergency services in Northern Ireland in each of the past 12 months were discovered to be prank calls; what penalties are in place for those caught making prank calls to the emergency services; and if he will estimate the cost in (a) monetary and (b) other terms of prank calls in that period.

Shaun Woodward: Information provided by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the numbers of hoax calls in each of the past 12 months for which statistics are available is as follows:
	
		
			  Fire Ambulance Police 
		
		
			 2004
			 May — 259 — 
			 June 455 239 (1)— 
			 July 567 233 (1)— 
			 August 496 277 (1)— 
			 September 492 205 (1)— 
			 October 490 205 (1)— 
			 November 385 201 (1)— 
			 December 333 235 (1)— 
			 2005
			 January 457 199 (1)— 
			 February 437 175 (1)— 
			 March 529 354 (1)— 
			 April 426 366 (1)— 
			 May 440 — (1)— 
			 Total 5,507 2,948 (1)875 
		
	
	(1) Police figure covers the period 1 June 2004 to 31 May 2005. A monthly breakdown is not available.
	Under the Communications Act 2003, the maximum penalty for those caught making hoax or malicious calls is a fine not exceeding £5,000 and/or a term of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months.
	NIFRS, NIAS and PSNI estimate the costs of hoax calls at £141,250, £442,200 and £31,336 respectively during the reporting periods.
	It is extremely difficult to quantify the indirect costs of hoax calls. However, the most serious cost is the potential for serious injury or loss of life if the emergency services are not available to respond to genuine emergencies or are delayed in responding because crews are deployed responding to hoax calls.

Speech Therapists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to attract more speech therapists to the NHS in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The recruitment of staff, including speech and language therapists, is a matter for individual Health and Social Services Trusts taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources. The Department provided additional funding to increase by 10 the number of student places with effect from the 2001–02 academic year and by a further five places from 2002–03. These increased intake levels are being maintained and the annual commission is 40 student places. There are 152 students in training during the current academic year.

Suicide

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was made available by his Department for suicide awareness campaigns and support groups for those affected by suicide in the last year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: In 2004–05, the Department provided £350,000 to take forward the actions in the Mental Health Promotion Strategy including a specific campaign aimed at young men; £60,390 was paid to regional voluntary organisations, which provide counselling services, and £228,353 was paid to local groups providing counselling services which includes those affected by suicide.

University of Ulster

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with senior management of the University of Ulster regarding the report of Sir Michael Buckley.

Angela Smith: As this is a matter for the internal management of the university the Department of Employment and Learning has not received a copy of Sir Michael Buckley's report. The Department has discussed the matters considered by Sir Michael with the university's authorities and has sought, and received assurances, that none of these matters presented a risk to public funds. It has reminded the university that any severance terms for the Vice-Chancellor should comply with established guidelines and should not be funded from the Department's grant.

University of Ulster

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department has been informed of the findings of Sir Michael Buckley's inquiry into senior management practice at the University of Ulster.

Angela Smith: The Department of Employment and Learning has not received a copy of Sir Michael Buckley's report. It has been kept informed by the university's authorities of the issues being considered, so that it can assure itself that those issues relevant to financial management and accountability have been addressed.

Waste Dumping (Asbestos)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to eradicate cross-border illegal dumping of waste, with particular reference to asbestos.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment is aware of the scale and nature of illegal dumping in Northern Ireland, and all possible action is being taken to combat it. The Environment and Heritage Service continues to carry out investigations and prepare prosecution cases in incidents where waste is illegally disposed of in Northern Ireland, regardless of its origin.
	Several cases, including those involving illegal disposal of waste from the Republic of Ireland, are due to be heard in the Crown court. These are the first cases relating to environmental criminal offences to be dealt with in a higher court, where there is potential for unlimited financial penalties and prison sentences. The Department has also taken over responsibility for Transfrontier Shipment of Waste, which will allow us to exercise tighter control.
	The recently established Waste Task Force is exploring measures to strengthen still further the regulatory regime and I will be bringing forward proposals for new legislation as soon as possible.
	Legislation is in place for the safe removal and disposal of asbestos and waste containing asbestos. District councils have the statutory responsibility for fly-tipped waste. However, EHS does work closely with the councils and the Health and Safety Executive for NI to resolve issues involving asbestos waste.

PRIME MINISTER

Belarus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the President of Belarus on increasing democracy and accountability; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have had no recent discussions with the President of Belarus.

G8 summit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what the outcome was of his recent meeting with President Bush regarding the G8 summit.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1234–44, and to the press conference I held with President Bush, a transcript of which is available on the No. 10 website.

Local Elections

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason responsibility for local elections has been transferred from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the Department of Constitutional Affairs.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the Number 10 press notice issued on 23 May 2005 on Machinery of Government changes, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Royal Prerogative

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list thepowers available to him under the Royal Prerogative.

Tony Blair: The powers available to the Prime Minister under the Royal Prerogative have evolved over many years and it is not possible precisely to define them.

Royal Prerogative

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to make it a requirement for Parliament to be consulted on the use of his power under the Royal Prerogative to take the country to war; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The Government recognise the desire for parliamentary scrutiny of decisions to deploy our armed forces, and has shown that it will provide opportunities for debate when this arises. A formal requirement to consult Parliament is, therefore, unnecessary and could prejudice the Government's ability to take swift action to defend our national security where the circumstances so require.

Social Behaviour

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish a Royal Commission to develop a long-term strategy on improving and promoting social behaviour and reducing antisocial behaviour.

Tony Blair: No. The Government have a wide-ranging strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. During this Parliament, we will step this up by driving through cultural change in local communities, especially in deprived areas. This will be a Government-wide programme led by the Home Office, with the active support of a number of Government Departments. I will also chair the Cabinet Committee on antisocial behaviour in order to take this agenda forward and consider what further actions need to be taken.

TREASURY

Business Taxes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to maximise collection of taxes and revenues from businesses.

Dawn Primarolo: To assist business customers in payment of taxes and revenues the Department offers a wide range of help and advice to businesses through its 'Large Business' and 'Small and Medium Enterprises' units. The Department then offers a wide range of options to make it as easy as possible for payments to be made promptly and on time. This includes encouraging customers to pay electronically and to this end a flexible range of e-payment methods is available to business customers.
	Several methods are also available to encourage future compliance and to secure payment from the non-compliant, for example legal proceedings through the courts.

Child Trust Fund

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the rate of take-up to date of the Child Trust Fund; what plans he has to increase take-up; and what estimates he has made of future take-ups.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 286–87W. Although it is still very early days for the Child Trust Fund, I am encouraged that parents have seized the initiative on savings. Nearly one third of vouchers have already been used. It is in the interests of children that parents use the Child Trust Fund voucher to open a Child Trust Fund account as soon as they feel ready to do so. The sooner vouchers are invested, the sooner Child Trust Fund accounts can start to grow. Child Trust Fund advertising on television, radio, online and in national and consumer press will resume on 1 July 2005.

Civil Servants

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil service posts have been transferred from London to deprived areas of the South East in the past 12 months; how many posts are under consideration for such transfer; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Government are relocating posts out of London and the South East in accordance with Sir Michael Lyons' recommendations. However, the Lyons Review recognised that in some circumstances departments might be able to make strong business cases for relocating from London to deprived parts of the South East. Twenty-two posts either have transferred or are under consideration for transfer from London to deprived areas of the South East. It is for individual departments to decide on relocation destinations, according to their business needs and taking account of published guidance which promotes consideration of deprived areas, and comprehensive information is not maintained centrally on locations being considered by departments.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many council tax valuations the Valuation Office Agency have made in England in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: In the course of maintaining the council tax valuation lists in England, and excluding cases where no action has been taken, the Valuation Office Agency has made new or altered bandings as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 388,239 
			 1998–99 357,403 
			 1999–2000 355,825 
			 2000–01 338,566 
			 2001–02 330,379 
			 2002–03 345,552 
			 2003–04 351,245 
			 2004–05 370,019

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of appeals against council tax valuations in England for each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: In the course of maintaining valuation lists in England the Valuation Office Agency has received the following number of valid council tax appeals:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 71,848 
			 1998–99 56,420 
			 1999–2000 45,368 
			 2000–01 41,093 
			 2001–02 33,490 
			 2002–03 30,252 
			 2003–04 28,275 
			 2004–05 28,470

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the council tax band of the residences of (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Downing street.

Dawn Primarolo: The council tax band of the residences of (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in Downing street, are publicly available in the Council Tax Valuation List. These can be accessed, online, via the Valuation Office Agency's website, www.voa.gov.uk.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency will have powers to enter residential premises when inspecting them during the forthcoming council tax revaluation process in England.

Dawn Primarolo: It is a function of the listing officers, throughout the Valuation Office Agency, to carry out valuations for the purposes of compiling the new lists on 1 April 2007. Section 26(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 provides power of entry for inspection, subject to the requirements of section 26(2) and 26 (3), to provide written notice and production of authorisation.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency will take into account the (a) number of bathrooms, (b) number of bedrooms, (c) floor area, (d) age of the property, (e) off-street parking, (f) out-buildings, (g) conservatories and (h) size of garden when valuing a residence in the forthcoming council tax revaluation process in England.

Dawn Primarolo: It is the intention of the Valuation Office Agency, when assigning dwellings to bands for the forthcoming council tax revaluation, to reflect a number of property attributes, including all those referred to, where a value significance can be established.

Flat Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department has conducted or commissioned about a 'flat tax' for (a) personal taxesand (b) business taxes; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government actively monitors the international developments in taxation, including the countries that have introduced 'flat tax' regimes. The Government have not conducted or commissioned studies on the introduction of a 'flat tax' in the UK.

Game Rearing Farms

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many game rearing farms are registered as valued for non-domestic rates with the Valuation Office Agency in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: As at 9 June 2005 there are 128 game rearing farms listed in the 2005 rating lists. These are available on the Valuation Office Agency's website at www.voa.gov.uk , of which (a) 120 are in England and (b) eight are in Wales.

Hard-working families

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his definition is of a hard-working family.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to supporting families who work hard to balance their work and family commitments looking after children and their dependents. That is why we are increasing financial support for families through tax credits, extending paid maternity leave, taking action to improve the quality, availability and affordability of child care, and helping record numbers of people into employment.

Income Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals paid a combined deduction rate on their income in excess of 40 per cent. for the latest five years for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is unavailable.

Insurance Availability (Criminals)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the insurance industry on the availability of insurance products for individuals who have a criminal record.

Ivan Lewis: I and my officials regularly meet representatives of the insurance industry to discuss a variety of issues.
	I understand that cover for ex-offenders seeking general insurance products is available in the market. The practice of insurance companies varies from case to case, however, and it may be necessary for people to look across the market for acceptable cover.

National Income

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down post-tax national income by (a) decile and (b) quintile for each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 15 June 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for a breakdown of post-tax national income by (a) decile and (b) quintile for each year since 1997. I am replying in his absence. (3889)
	Estimates for post-tax national income by quantile are not available but estimates for post-tax household income are shown in the following tables. These have been produced from the Office for National Statistics' analyses 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income' and the latest analysis for 2002–03 was published on the National Statistics website on 6 May 2004 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analyses include measures of income inequality for households in the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey (the Family and Expenditure Survey from 1997–98 to 2000–01). This is a sample survey covering about 6,000 to 7,000 households in the UK. The analysis for 2003–04 is due to be published on the National Statistics website on 7 July 2005.
	The tables show a breakdown of post-tax household income in terms of the average annual amount per household for each year between 1997–98 and 2002–03 for all households in the UK, and for each income decile and quintile group where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources. The tables also show the equivalised disposable income decile and quintile point boundaries, which have been calculated separately for each year. For example, the 1st decile point is the income below which one tenth of all households are estimated to lie. The decile and quintile point boundaries differ between each year as shown in the tables.
	Post-tax income is defined as income (after government intervention) net of estimates of direct taxes and indirect taxes. Indirect taxes include intermediate taxes which are the portion of indirect taxes that are passed on by businesses to households.
	
		Distribution of post-tax income, by decile, 1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			 United Kingdom Average per household (£ per year) 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
			 Decile Income boundary(2) Post-tax income Income boundary(2) Post-tax income Income boundary(2) Post-tax income 
		
		
			 Bottom  3,409  3,340  3,095 
			  6,766  7,048  7,372  
			 2nd  5,664  5,925  5,943 
			  8,504  8,785  9,171  
			 3rd  6,709  7,074  7,246 
			  10,146  10,438  11,009  
			 4th  8,745  9,076  9,317 
			  11,922  12,494  13,173  
			 5th  11,176  11,511  11,886 
			  13,917  14,628  15,629  
			 6th  13,188  13,498  14,428 
			  16,342  17,192  18,208  
			 7th  15,600  16,166  17,301 
			  19,316  20,343  21,348  
			 8th  19,376  19,338  20,001 
			  23,457  24,255  26,115  
			 9th  23,705  23,908  26,116 
			  30,451  31,830  33,706  
			 Top  39,277  42,774  46,011 
			
			 Average for all households  14,685  15,261  16,134 
		
	
	
		
			 United Kingdom Average per household (£ per year) 
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			 Decile Income boundary(2) Post-tax income Income boundary(2) Post-tax income Income boundary(2) Post-tax income 
		
		
			 Bottom  3,537  3,287  4,043 
			  7,775  8,214  8,972  
			 2nd  6,408  7,038  7,969 
			  9,790  10,356  11,196  
			 3rd  8,125  8,672  9,652 
			  11,600  12,361  13,151  
			 4th  10,079  10,910  11,523 
			  13,808  14,670  15,516  
			 5th  12,627  13,682  14,103 
			  16,173  17,179  18,048  
			 6th  14,841  16,132  16,668 
			  19,029  19,910  20,860  
			 7th  18,250  19,584  20,803 
			  22,367  23,691  24,579  
			 8th  21,299  23,915  25,131 
			  27,109  28,469  29,575  
			 9th  26,156  29,421  30,841 
			  35,249  37,095  38,275  
			 Top  47,226  53,314  49,284 
			
			 Average for all households  16,855  18,595  19,002 
		
	
	(2) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income deciles.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Distribution of post-tax income, by quintile, 1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			 United Kingdom Average per household (£ per year) 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
			 Quintile Income boundary(3) Post-tax income Income boundary(3) Post-tax income Income boundary(3) Post-tax income 
		
		
			 Bottom  4,537  4,633  4,519 
			  8,504  8,785  9,171  
			 2nd  7,727  8,075  8,282 
			  11,922  12,494  13,173  
			 3rd  12,182  12,505  13,157 
			  16,342  17,192  18,208  
			 4th  17,488  17,752  18,651 
			  23,457  24,255  26,115  
			 Top  31,491  33,341  36,064 
			
			 Average for all households  14,685  15,261  16,134 
		
	
	
		
			 United Kingdom Average per household (£ per year) 
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			 Quintile Income boundary(3) Post-tax income Income boundary(3) Post-tax income Income boundary(3) Post-tax income 
		
		
			 Bottom  4,973  5,162  6,006 
			  9,790  10,356  11,196  
			 2nd  9,102  9,791  10,587 
			  13,808  14,670  15,516  
			 3rd  13,734  14,907  15,386 
			  19,029  19,910  20,860  
			 4th  19,774  21,749  22,967 
			  27,109  28,469  29,575  
			 Top  36,691  41,367  40,063 
			
			 Average for all households  16,855  18,595  19,002 
		
	
	(3) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.

National Insurance

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people living in the UK qualify for a National Insurance number; and on what basis they qualify.

Dawn Primarolo: All young people resident in the UK who are the subject of a child benefit claim qualify for a National Insurance number (NINO) which is issued to them around the age of 15 years and 9 months. An individual resident in the UK is qualified to register for a NINO if they meet certain employment or benefit-related criteria. They must never have registered before, be aged 16 or over, be employed and/or self-employed, or not employed but wish to be or would benefit from paying Class 3 voluntary contributions. Alternatively they must be eligible for and seeking to claim a social security benefit or tax credit.
	There are 73 million NINOs registered on the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2) (this total includes, among others, numbers for deceased persons and those who have gone abroad). We do not know how many people who would qualify for NINO registration do not apply.

National Insurance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the rate of national insurance contributions.

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the rate of national insurance contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: From April 2003 an additional 1 per cent. national insurance contribution (NIC) by employers, employees and the self-employed was introduced on all earnings above the NICs threshold to deliver the largest sustained spending growth in the history of the NHS while meeting the fiscal rules.

Offshore Facilities

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequerwhat his policy is on UK publicly-funded companies moving services offshore to avoid tax or national insurance payments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It is Government policy that Departments and non-departmental public bodies should not seek to minimise tax liabilities through transactions or activities for which there is no genuine justification in economic terms, and should apply restrictions on the use of offshore jurisdictions by successful bidders to procurement contracts, where such restrictions are justified in terms of the objectives of the project and consistent with international obligations and stated objectives on tax transparency and openness. This is made clear in the Dear Accounting Officer" letter sent by HM Treasury to Departments on 22 May 2003 (DAO Gen/03). Public corporations follow the same rules for managing tax liabilities as private companies.

Private/Public Finance Initiative

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which circumstances would (a) qualify private finance initiative to be considered for and (b) exclude it from being considered for public borrowing requirements;
	(2)  how much public finance initiative funding has been written off since its inception.

John Healey: The Government follow rules based upon internationally agreed standards of commercial accounting practice, policed by the independent accounting watchdog, the FRAB (Financial Reporting Advisory Board), when accounting for PFI transactions.
	All PFI deals are subject to audit by the NAO or another UK audit body. Where they judge that assets in PFI deals should be on a public authority's balance sheet the value of those assets is scored as public sector net borrowing.
	Approximately half of all signed PFI deals are judged under this process to be 'off-balance sheet'.

Stamp Duty

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 May 2005, Official Report, column 201W, on stamp duty, what the forecast revenues from stamp duty on (a) residential properties and (b) commercial properties are in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06.

Ivan Lewis: Estimated and projected revenues for total stamp taxes in 2004–05 and 2005–06 are published in Table C8 of the Budget 2005 report. The Stamp Duty Land Tax component of these figures is estimated at £6.3 billion in 2004–05 and £6.7 billion in 2005–06.
	Separate estimates for Stamp Duty Land Tax receipts for 2004–05 from both residential and commercial property will be published later this year.

Stamp Duty

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average stamp duty paid for a residential property purchase in (a) each Government Office region, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland has been in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Estimates of average stamp duty on land and property by Country and Region are given in the following table. Reliable estimates are only readily available for Scotland for 2003–04.
	
		Averages : £
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 North East 320 300 410 450 730 790 1,060 
			 North West 350 430 540 580 730 970 1,310 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 370 370 510 490 570 950 1,300 
			 East Midlands 330 450 590 700 770 1,150 1,780 
			 West Midlands 470 560 700 830 1,110 1,400 1,830 
			 East of England 750 940 1,090 1,480 1,970 2,260 2,990 
			 London 1,890 2,040 2,800 3,730 4,490 4,760 5,340 
			 South East 1,080 1,450 1,780 2,150 2,760 3,110 3,770 
			 South West 680 790 1,030 1,330 1,570 1,990 2,560 
			 Wales 330 380 470 540 590 1,030 1,420 
			 Scotland n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,210 
			 Northern Ireland 240 320 470 730 1,000 800 1,080

Stamp Duty

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount raised in stamp duty on (a) residential property and (b) commercial property in (i) each Government Office region, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland has been in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Estimates of the amount of stamp duty raised on residential land and property transactions are available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15_2_october04.pdf
	Estimates for stamp duty raised on commercial transactions are given in the same format in the following table:
	
		Yield : £ million
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 665 1,075 1,360 1,540 1,445 1,485 1,190 
			 
			 England and Wales 615 995 1,255 1,405 1,285 1,350 960 
			 North East 20 25 30 25 25 35 25 
			 North West 50 70 95 105 100 145 100 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35 50 75 85 75 85 80 
			 East Midlands 31 130 70 60 65 80 50 
			 West Midlands 45 85 90 90 110 120 85 
			 East of England 55 80 110 115 155 135 90 
			 London 210 290 440 500 390 350 245 
			 South East 110 170 225 290 250 215 175 
			 South West 45 65 90 100 95 135 85 
			 
			 Wales 15 30 30 35 30 45 30 
			 
			 Scotland and Northern Ireland 50 80 105 135 160 135 230

Tax Credit

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to the HM Revenue and Customs prosecution policy against fraudulent tax credit claims.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been no changes to criminal sanctions policy for tax credit offences caused by the creation of HM Revenue and Customs. The same policy operates as used by the former Inland Revenue.

Tax Credit

Michael Jack: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the administrative cost of dealing with all aspects of tax credit overpayments made since April 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to him and the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) of 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 298W.

Tax Credit

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 293W, on Inland Revenue, for what reasons information on the number of complaints on tax credit received is not collected; if he will take steps to ensure the number of complaints is (a) recorded and (b) published; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 9 June 2005
	My hon. Friend's original question asked how many complaints have been made (a) directly and (b) through hon. Members in the last 12 months on how the Inland Revenue office in Preston deals with tax credit queries. The Department does not keep records of the number of complaints made specifically about the way the Tax Credit Office deal with queries, so it was not possible to provide a figure.
	For the numbers of complaints for 2003–04, I refer my hon. Friend to the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General published with the Annual Report and Accounts of the Inland Revenue for the year 2003–04. For 2003–04, the Inland Revenue counted the number of complaints rather than the number of people who complained. For 2004–05, to be consistent with the rest of the Department, the Tax Credits Office counted the number of people who made written complaints.
	In 2004–05, complaints were received in around 42,000 cases directly from claimants. Around 9,000 complaints were also made through Members of the House of Commons.

Tax Credit

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to carry out a review of the tax credit office in Preston and to make recommendations for improvement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 June 2005
	The Comptroller and Auditor General and the National Audit Office have their own programme of work. They will report on the separate 2004–05 accounts of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise in the autumn. The report on the Inland Revenue will include consideration of tax credits.

Tax Investigations (Northern Ireland)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Northern Ireland have been subject to two or more tax investigations in the past five years.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Taxation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of gross income was paid by (a) all households, (b) the bottom quintile group and (c) the top quintile group in (i) direct taxation, (ii) indirect taxation and (iii) all taxes in the latest year for whichfigures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: This information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 15 June 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of gross income was paid by (a) all households, (b) the bottom quintile group and (c) the top quintile group in (i) direct taxation, (ii) indirect taxation and (iii) all taxes in the latest year for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (4059).
	The proportion of gross income that was paid in taxes in 2002–03 (the latest year for which data are available) by (a) all households types, (b) the bottom quintile group and (c) the top quintile group can be obtained from Table 3 of 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 2002–2003', published on the National Statistics website on 6 May 2004 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits.
	The analysis includes measures of income inequality for households in the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. This is a sample survey covering about 7,000 households in the UK.
	The analysis for 2003–04 is due to be published on the National Statistics website on 7 July 2005.

Taxpayer Numbers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) starting rate, (b) basic rate and (c) higher rate taxpayers there have been in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to National Statistics table 2.1 on HM Revenue and Customs website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2–1.xls
	Figures prior to 1990–91 can be found in Table 1.5 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1992, a copy of which is in the Library.

Tobin Tax

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with Finance Ministers of other Governments about the viability of a Tobin tax.

Dawn Primarolo: At the June G8 meeting, Ministers agreed on a work programme on the IFF and its pilot (the IFF for Immunisation), some of the revenue proposals from the Landau Report brought forward by France and Germany, the Millennium Challenge Account and other financing measures. We believe the International Finance Facility remains the most developed proposal for providing additional resources in the region of the required $50 billion estimated for meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The Government are prepared to consider all proposals for raising international finance for development, but there would be significant technical problems with a tax of this sort and it is not being actively considered at the present time.

Tuition Fees

Peter Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the resources necessary to avoid the introduction of variable tuition fees in Wales to the Welsh Assembly Government.

Des Browne: In devolved areas of policy it is for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide their policies and priorities within their overall budget.

VAT

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations in the European Union for reduced VAT for contraceptives.

Dawn Primarolo: Under European VAT agreements, member states may apply a reduced VAT rate for products used for contraception.

VAT

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations in the European Union for reduced VAT for energy efficient buildings.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are negotiating with their EU partners to achieve a reduced rate for energy-saving materials for DIY installation. Any changes to the list of permitted reduced rates require the agreement of all member states.
	To encourage investment in domestic energy efficiency, the Government have introduced a broad range of measures, including reduced rates for the installation of micro-renewable energy, energy saving materials, micro-combined heat and power and air source heat pumps.

VAT

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations in the European Union for reduced VAT for places of worship.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are negotiating with their EU partners to achieve a reduced rate of VAT for repairs to listed places of worship. Any changes to the list of permitted reduced rates require the agreement of all member states.
	The Chancellor announced in March 2001 that a grant scheme would be put in place to refund the difference between the standard rate of VAT and a reduced rate. This was extended to cover the full amount of VAT from 1 April 2004. The scheme is due to continue until March 2008, unless a reduced rate is achieved earlier.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Consultation

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House what stepshe will take to increase consultation with Parliament.

Geoff Hoon: It is a function of the Leader of the House to ensure that the views of the House are communicated to Government. In addition to passing on matters raised at Business Questions, I am willing to meet with hon. Members from all parts of the House to discuss matters which concern them.

Standing Orders

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make it Government policy to support a change in the operation of Standing Order No. 13 in order to extend the ability of hon. Members to make representations to the Speaker for the earlier meeting of the House in certain circumstances.

Geoff Hoon: The Government see no need for a change in the operation of Standing Order No. 13. The Government have recalled Parliament whenever major developments have required it: six times since 1997. The Government would be resistant to any change which increased the pressure on the Speaker or politicised his role, or which led to recalls in circumstances which did not merit it.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Security Incident Trial

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost was of the trial of the individuals who broke into the House of Commons Chamber in September 2004.

Mike O'Brien: I am advised that the Prosecution costs were approximately £2,800. Costs orders were made against each of the defendants in the sum of £350 each.
	Witness expenses were in the sum of £83. No claim was made to the court for witness expenses because the prosecutor had not been told of the figure at the time of sentencing.
	I will write to my right hon. Friend with a more detailed breakdown on costs.

Violence (Sport)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Solicitor-General whether future guidelines issued by the Crown Prosecution Service to police forces in relation to violence carried out on the sporting field will extend to Northern Ireland.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for the review and, where appropriate, the prosecution of criminal offences in England and Wales.
	In the past, the CPS has issued general guidance on various topics (such as prosecuting racist crime, offences against the person), which can apply to violence, disorder and antisocial behaviour both on and off the sports field. The CPS is currently considering whether further guidance should be issued which specifically relates to criminal conduct on the playing field. However, as the CPS has no jurisdiction over criminal prosecutions in Northern Ireland, any further guidance would not directly extend to them, unless it is specifically adopted by their Director of Public Prosecutions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Live8

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she had with (a) local residents, (b) amenity societies and (c) other interested parties in advance of consent beinggiven for the Live8 concert to take place in Hyde Park;
	(2)  what discussions she had with the organisers of the Live8 concert in Hyde Park on ensuring that the cost of clearing up after the concert will be met by the organisers.

David Lammy: The Royal Parks Agency discussed the concert with the local authority, Westminster city council; with the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens; with the local operational and safety planning group, which is chaired by Westminster city council and which includes representatives of the emergency and rescue services, and with the Princes Trust, whose Party in the Park was already booked to take place that weekend.
	The event organisers will arrange for the concert site to be cleared during and after the concert. However, as part of Government-wide support for tackling the problems affecting Africa, the Royal Parks Agency will not be charging the organisers for clearing up Hyde Park after this genuinely one-off event. My Department expects to bear those costs arising from Live8 which the Royal Parks are unable to absorb within their existing budgets.

London Olympic Bid

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what resources from public funds she is making available to run the office of the 2012 Olympic Bid Committee.

Tessa Jowell: Decisions regarding the running costs of the Bid company London 2012 Ltd. are made by the company itself and the Government have not made separate funding available for this. The Government have made up to £20 million of public funds available to London 2012: £10 million from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and £10 million from the London Development Agency. In addition, London 2012 has raised in excess of £8 million in private finance.

London Olympic Bid

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the aggregate public expenditure to date has been on the London 2012 Olympic bid.

Tessa Jowell: Public funding for London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games consists of £20 million for the commercial company London 2012 and a further £10 million for bid-related supporting activities. To date, London 2012 has drawn down £17 million and £7.1 million of the bid support budget has been spent, giving a total spend of £24.1 million.

Lottery-funded Projects (Nottingham)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the projects funded by the Lottery in Nottingham, North in the 2005–06 financial year.

Richard Caborn: Awards made in Nottingham, North in this financial year to date (1 April 2005 to 10 June 2005) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Distributing body Recipient Project Award date Award amount (£) 
		
		
			 Awards for All (England) Joint Scheme Beacon FE The organisation was recently set up to provide equipment and facility hire for under 10s football. 4 April 2005 2,373 
			 Awards for All (England) Joint Scheme William Sharp School This school will use the award to set up and run an after-school dance club and centre of excellence for local primary schools. The award is for coaching fees, music resources, performance sessions, t-shirts and technical support. 10 May 2005 4,959 
			 New Opportunities Fund A veteran A Second World War veteran from Nottingham has been awarded a grant towards travel costs for a veteran commemorative visit to Singapore and Thailand in November of this year. Funding has also been provided for a carer to travel with the veteran. 10 May 2005 2,100 
			 New Opportunities Fund A veteran A Second World War veteran from Nottingham has been awarded a grant towards travel costs for a commemorative visit to France in May of this year. Funding has also been provided for a care to travel with the veteran. 10 May 1005 525 
			 New Opportunities Fund 3 veterans Three Second World War veterans from Nottinghamshire have been awarded a grant towards travel costs for a commemorative visit to Malta in September of this year. Funding has also been provided for two spouses to travel with the veterans. 18 May 2005 2,250 
		
	
	There will have been awards made this financial year by Lottery Distributors that have yet to be recorded, due to a degree of lag in the reporting process.
	The information is freely available from the Department's searchable Lottery award database at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons transitional relief for the 2005 business rates revaluation in England is not subsidised by central Government.

Phil Woolas: The Government see no reason why a transitional scheme for business should be subsidised by the general taxpayer. The Local Government Act 2003 made transition a permanent feature of non-domestic rates revaluations and required such schemes to be self-financing. Transition schemes from 2005 will therefore be funded by other non-domestic ratepayers.

Capital Spending (Housing)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the total capital spending allocation was for housing between 1997 and 2004; and if he will break down the payments by scheme;
	(2)  what payments have been made by the Government as investment in affordable housing in England, broken down by scheme in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Government's capital investment in housing in England exceeded £4.7 billion in 2004–05, an increase of almost £2.9 billion over 1997–98 levels.
	Table 1 shows how this total investment in England was split between the main housing programmes.
	
		Table 1
		
			 £ million 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Supported borrowing for local authorities1, 2 617 955 1,022 1,819 684 785 837 795 
			 Major Repairs Allowance(4) — — — — 1,587 1,529 1,459 1,406 
			 Cash Incentive Scheme1, 3 53 31 2 — — — — — 
			 Estate Action 173 96 57 69 39 14 5 3 
			 Housing Action Trusts(7) 66 53 45 71 68 75 60 45 
			 Private sector renewal 192 166 165 0 21 8 8 5 
			 Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders(8) — — — — — — 48 197 
			 Disabled Facilities Grants 66 64 66 77 88 95 112 106 
			 Arms Length Management Organisations — — — — — 56 322 575 
			 Affordable Housing via Housing Corporation's  programmes 727 732 816 830 823 1,030 1,805 1,636 
			 Total 1,894 2,097 2,173 2,866 3,310 3,592 4,656 4,768 
		
	
	(4) Two changes were made to funding arrangements from 2000–01 as part of wider initiatives to:
	reduce ring fencing of funds to provide local authorities with more flexibility on use of resources in the light of local needs and priorities (the resources which had previously been allocated specifically for private sector renewal grants and Cash Incentive Scheme grants were include in the general funding provided for housing with only transitional payments occurring in later years); and
	move to a basis of resource accounting for government accounts in 2001–02 (a separate funding stream—the Major Repairs Allowance—was established to cover the costs of maintaining council housing in its existing condition (as a proxy for depreciation).
	(5) In each of 2002–03 and 2003–04 about £40 million was topsliced for an overall cross service performance reward pot supporting asset management.
	(6) Funding to help existing council tenants purchase a home of their own thereby freeing up a home for a household in need.
	(7) Some, but not all, of the investment within HATs will deliver housing outputs.
	(8) In addition to this £48 million, £21 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund was spent in the Market Renewal pathfinder areas.
	In addition, Government sponsor other capital programmes which support the housing agenda by levering in private sector investment on housing or supporting infrastructure development. For example, since 1998 we have allocated credits in Housing PFI totalling £259 million between 1998–99 to 2004–05 in schemes that have been signed.
	Affordable housing
	A significant proportion of the total expenditure between 1997–98 and 2004–05 supported provision of affordable housing—table 2 shows a detailed breakdown of the affordable housing programme.
	
		Table 2
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Approved Development Programme 667 603 635 727 799 925 1,590 1,600 
			 Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund 0 0 0 0 9 27 27 11 
			 Starter Home Initiative 0 0 0 0 2 67 172 7 
			 Other 60 129 180 103 13 11 16 18 
			 Total 727 732 816 830 823 1,030 1,805 1,636 
		
	
	This table represents the investment the Government have made via the Housing Corporation to registered social landlords for the provision and repair of affordable housing for both rent and low cost homeownership.

Council Tax

John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total council tax take was for 2004–05; andhow much council tax was raised from second homes.

Phil Woolas: The amount local authorities in England budgeted they needed to raise through council tax in 2004–05 was £20,299 million.
	It is estimated that approximately £230 million was raised by local authorities from charging council tax on second homes in 2004–05.

Deputy Prime Minister (Properties)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the addresses of the properties provided by theGovernment for the use of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1037W.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the number of people eligible for the Disabled Facilities Grant who are deterred from applying because of the means testing of claims;
	(2)  when he expects the Disabled Facilities Grant Review Group to publish its report;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the take-up of the Disabled Facilities Grant since the introduction of means-testing.

Yvette Cooper: The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) was first introduced in 1990 following the coming into force of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. It has always been subject to a means test.
	Detailed information on the number of people deterred from applying for DFG because of the operation of the means test is not collected centrally. However, the latest evaluation of the DFG system in England carried out by PIEDA plc for the Department of Environment in 1996 showed that of 38,000 annual inquiries about the grant, 10 per cent. (3,800) drop out because their income would mean they received no grant, 2 per cent. (800) drop out because they cannot afford their assessed contribution towards the costs of the works and 1 per cent. (400) refuse to submit to a means test.
	As part of the current review of the DFG system a team from Bristol University are looking at the operation of the DFG system including the means test. The review is continuing and Ministers will put forward any proposals for change later in the year.

Fire Service

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many attacks there have been on fire officers in each of the last five years, broken down by brigade; how many people have been successfully prosecuted for carrying out such attacks; how many prosecutions are ongoing; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 114W.

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many chemical or fuel spills or leaks or suspected chemical or fuel spills or leaks were attended by the Fire Service in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information is not collected centrally on attending incidents specifically concerning chemical or fuel spills or leaks.
	The figures provided are for attending spills and leaks of all substances including those that are radioactive or hazardous, for standing by at spills or leaks and for attending gas leaks.
	The number of spills or leaks incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Service for the last 10 years in England is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Number of incidents 
		
		
			 1994–95 11,261 
			 1995–96 13,228 
			 1996–97 12,865 
			 1997–98 13,153 
			 1998–99 12,864 
			 1999–2000 12,160 
			 2000–02 13,529 
			 2001–02 14,140 
			 2002–03 13,097 
			 2003–04 11,189 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM annual returns
	The figures available cover dealing with all types of spills and leaks, and additionally incidents where only standby action was required.
	Since 1994–95, the number of incidents attended has varied from year to year, but there was a discernable peak in 2001–02 when 14,140 incidents were attended. This represented a 26 per cent. increase compared with 1994–95. The number of incidents attended has fallen in the last two years, and in the most recent year there was a fall of 15 per cent. in the incidents attended, and the number is now below the 1994–95 level.

Fire Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many incidents were attended by the Fire Service which required standby or precautionary action in a potentially hazardous situation in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures provided are for attendance at a potentially hazardous situation, which includes, for example, 'standing by' while explosives are unloaded, or during an aircraft landing or an electrical power failure, but exclude standing by at spills or leaks which is included in the figures for attending spills or leaks.
	The number of standby or precautionary action incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Service in England is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Number of incidents 
		
		
			 1994–95 1,941 
			 1995–96 2,024 
			 1996–97 2,126 
			 1997–98 2,003 
			 1998–99 1,753 
			 1999–2000 1,965 
			 2000–02 1,867 
			 2001–02 1,904 
			 2002–03 1,751 
			 2003–04 1,634 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM annual returns
	The number of incidents attended increased by 10 per cent. between 1994–95 and 1996–97. Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, the pattern was variable with some years increasing and others showing a fall in the number of standby incidents. Since 2001–02, the number of incidents attended has fallen sharply, by 14 per cent., to 1,634 in 2003–04. The latest figure is 23 per cent. below the peak of 2,126 in 1996–97.

Fire Service

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) fire engines, (b) firefighters and (c) fire stations there were in London in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of fire engines, firefighters and fire stations in the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority for the last five years is set out as follows:
	
		
			 At 31 March: Fire engines Whole-time firefighters(9) Fire stations 
		
		
			 2000 185 5,639 112 
			 2001 185 5,693 112 
			 2002 185 5,913 112 
			 2003 185 5,875 112 
			 2004 185 5,986 112 
		
	
	(9) Full-time equivalent
	Source:
	ODPM annual returns

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many persons are (a) registered homeless with and (b) on the housing waiting lists of (i) Maidstone district council, (ii) Milton Keynes council and (iii) Basingstoke and Deane council.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than persons. Information on the numbers on local authorities' Housing Registers is collected annually and is also in respect of households.
	The number of households accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during 2004, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness legislation as at 31 December 2004 as reported by each of these local authorities is tabled as follows. Also shown is the number of households on each authority's Housing Register as at 1 April 2004.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also tabled.
	
		
			  Accepted(10) as owed a main duty during 2004 In temporary accommodation(11) on 31 December 2004 Households on the housing register as at 1 April 2004 Rough sleepers 2004(12) (Number of persons) 
		
		
			 Maidstone 264 149 1,254 0 
			 Milton Keynes 852 1,467 2,951 0 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 128 150 4,761 2 
		
	
	(10) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	(11) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(12) June 2004 estimates.
	Source:
	ODPM: Homelessness returns (quarterly) and Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were registered as homeless in each London borough; and what the figures were per 1,000 population in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than persons. The number of households accepted by each London borough as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during 2004, and expressed as a rate per 1,000 households, estimated to be living in the borough in 2003, is in the table.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also presented in the following table.
	
		Reported acceptances in 2004
		
			  Mid-year household estimates (2003) Total households accepted(14) Annual rate per 1,000 households Rough sleepers 2004(14) (Number of persons) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 67 776 11.6 0 
			 Barnet 135 814 6.0 0 
			 Bexley 91 423 4.6 0 
			 Brent 114 818 7.2 6 
			 Bromley 129 718 5.6 0 
			 Camden 99 1,386 14.0 5 
			 City of London 4 33 8.3 22 
			 Croydon 142 1,132 8.0 0 
			 Ealing 130 800 6.2 4 
			 Enfield 116 1,002 8.6 0 
			 Greenwich 96 1,310 13.6 0 
			 Hackney 92 1,202 13.1 8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 86 650 7.6 3 
			 Haringey 101 1,175 11.6 4 
			 Harrow 86 109 1.3 0 
			 Havering 93 256 2.8 0 
			 Hillingdon 102 494 4.8 0 
			 Hounslow 89 895 10.1 0 
			 Islington 85 (15)— (15)— 1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 91 582 6.4 10 
			 Kingston upon Thames 64 (15)— (15)— 0 
			 Lambeth 130 1,544 11.9 12 
			 Lewisham 112 1,338 11.9 0 
			 Merton 84 257 3.1 0 
			 Newham 98 (15)— (15)— 3 
			 Redbridge 99 724 7.3 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 81 288 3.6 0 
			 Southwark 117 1,747 14.9 6 
			 Sutton 77 283 3.7 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 90 1,378 15.3 5 
			 Waltham Forest 96 869 9.1 1 
			 Wandsworth 130 905 7.0 0 
			 Westminster 111 1,189 10.7 175 
		
	
	(13) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty. January to December 2004, unless stated.
	(14) June estimates
	(15) Denotes that data for one or more quarters during the year was not provided.
	Sources:
	ODPM: Homelessness returns (quarterly); and
	Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)

Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the Local Government Pension Scheme is invested in UK equities.

Phil Woolas: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Individual Local Government Pension Scheme pension fund authorities can provide specific figures for their funds.

Planning Applications (Covenants)

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if the Government will introduce legislation ensuring that planning authorities are bound by covenants on land for which a planning application has been submitted;
	(2)  what statutory obligations there are on local authority planning departments to ensure that they do not grant planning requests if such requests are in breach of existing covenants.

Yvette Cooper: Restrictive covenants protect private rights and benefits of the owners or occupiers of the land specified in them. Covenants are privately negotiated and agreed. If a covenant is breached, it would be for those affected to see if enforcement would be possible; through the courts, if necessary.
	Private rights are quite separate from planning considerations. Planning decisions are taken in the broader public interest, in the light of policies in development plan documents and of any other factor relevant to land-use planning. There is public involvement when plan documents are put forward for adoption, or planning applications made. Accordingly, the existence of a restrictive covenant should not be the basis of a decision about a planning application or appeal.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people have participated in a shared ownership scheme in each year since 1990.

Yvette Cooper: Figures on the number of people or households participating in a shared ownership scheme are not available.

Toyota Prius

Peter Viggers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he was offered the free use of a Toyota Prius motor car; and what his response was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has not been offered the free use of a Toyota Prius motor car.
	My right hon. Friend is provided with an official car and driver from the Government Car Service in accordance with the rules set out in the 'Ministerial Code' and 'Travel by Ministers', copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Wardens

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish figures for the central Government funding of neighbourhood warden schemes in each year since their commencement.

Phil Woolas: Funding for neighbourhood warden schemes from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 4.5 
			 2001–02 5 
			 2002–03 4.5 
			 2003–04 5 
			 Total 19

Wardens

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government has to provide central funding for (a) community wardens and (b) neighbourhood wardens after March 2006.

Phil Woolas: There are no current plans to centrally fund either community wardens or neighbourhood wardens after March 2006.
	It was the Government policy to pilot fund warden schemes for a limited period as was announced to test the concept.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is in contact with local authorities to analyse progress towards the mainstreaming of funding. In fact 83 per cent. of first round schemes and 84 per cent. of second round schemes secured future funding after the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister financial support ceased.

CABINET OFFICE

Faith Awareness Training

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants in theDepartment received faith awareness training in 2004.

John Hutton: The Cabinet Office does not have a separate departmental faith awareness training programme.
	Information about faith awareness is provided for all staff via the departmental intranet. Diversity and equality issues are also covered in the Department's selection and management development programmes.

Faith Awareness Training

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent consultations havebeen carried out by his Department with representatives of faith communities; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Cabinet Office has not recently undertaken formal consultations that have required specific consultation with representatives of faith communities.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Businesses (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have ceased trading in (a) Brent, East and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: DTI figures based solely on VAT de-registrations for the Brent, East parliamentary constituency area and all the London borough areas are shown as follows for 1997 to 2003. Data for 2004 will be available in autumn 2005.
	
		
			 VAT de-registrations 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Brent East parliamentary constituency 255 340 315 415 315 345 340 
			 
			 Outer London
			 Barking and Dagenham 255 380 260 235 255 265 260 
			 Barnet 1,495 2,015 2,015 1,980 2,175 2,230 2,355 
			 Bexley 485 490 430 500 490 490 530 
			 Brent 820 885 940 1,040 1,030 1,030 1,070 
			 Bromley 810 775 830 815 800 925 1,015 
			 Croydon 1,000 1,055 1,100 1,060 1,020 1,140 1,110 
			 Ealing 900 845 835 935 990 1,045 1,070 
			 Enfield 605 585 680 700 735 805 780 
			 Greenwich 380 390 410 425 375 415 465 
			 Harrow 710 775 845 890 880 940 960 
			 Havering 575 570 550 585 535 630 615 
			 Hillingdon 715 670 685 755 730 790 845 
			 Hounslow 595 575 580 670 625 800 740 
			 Kingston upon Thames 425 430 415 520 545 605 650 
			 Merton 470 520 580 595 630 660 690 
			 Redbridge 680 660 680 705 810 815 805 
			 Richmond upon Thames 650 635 665 755 700 920 940 
			 Sutton 465 450 440 520 480 505 585 
			 Waltham Forest 580 495 585 600 595 620 600 
			 
			 Inner London
			 City of London 705 745 860 1,055 1,130 1,090 1,040 
			 Camden 2,240 2,980 2,625 2,525 2,530 2,720 2,320 
			 Hackney 725 695 770 790 785 890 900 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 615 600 635 765 820 1,005 1,005 
			 Haringey 665 725 745 770 795 795 830 
			 Islington 940 1,240 1,465 1,430 1,280 1,425 1,505 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 795 825 885 955 830 930 1,030 
			 Lambeth 615 640 650 670 655 685 765 
			 Lewisham 470 440 485 475 465 520 555 
			 Newham 445 440 430 420 445 455 495 
			 Southwark 685 700 695 745 735 790 915 
			 Tower Hamlets 710 695 680 810 800 800 885 
			 Wandsworth 770 760 825 920 920 1,000 1,035 
			 Westminster 3,150 3,620 3,970 4,290 4,170 4,475 5,190 
			 
			 London total 26,155 28,310 29,245 30,900 30,760 33,215 34,565 
		
	
	Source:
	VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2003, Small Business Service, available from http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
	VAT de-registrations do not give a complete picture of business closures. Businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. For example, they might continue to trade but at a turnover level below the VAT threshold. Only 1.8 million out of 4 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2003.

Businesses (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average income was of a small business in (a) Brent East and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: Data on the average profit or gross value added of all small businesses are not available. Turnover gives an alternative indication of the income of a business; it corresponds to the market sales of goods and services, excluding VAT. Figures on the average turnover of small businesses are only available at the national and regional level. They are not available for Brent, East or any London borough separately.
	The average turnover of a small business (defined as a business with zero to 49 employees) in the UK in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			 In UK at the start of: Average turnover(16)/£1,000: 
		
		
			 1997 193 
			 1998 202 
			 1999 201 
			 2000 205 
			 2001 206 
			 2002 216 
			 2003 215 
		
	
	(16) Excludes turnover in financial intermediation.
	The average turnover of a small business based in London in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			 Based in London at the start of: Average turnover(17)/£1,000: 
		
		
			 1997 354 
			 1998 330 
			 1999 282 
			 2000 (18)— 
			 2001 276 
			 2002 (18)— 
			 2003 312 
		
	
	(17) Excludes turnover in financial intermediation.
	(18) London figures for 2000 and 2002 are not available.
	Source:
	Small Business Service Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Statistics, www.sbs.gov.uk/smes
	The average turnover of a small business in the UK at the start of 2004 will be available in August 2005.

Community Interest Companies

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the likely level of use that will be made of the new community interest companies in the management of voluntary organisations in England.

Alun Michael: As stated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment prepared for the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004, take-up of community interest companies is hard to estimate given the lack of overall data on start-ups in the social enterprise sector. We expect that the community interest companies will be used initially mainly by new enterprises, rather than existing organisations which are already operating through an existing legal form. Our working assumption is that initially there may be between 100 and 300 new community interest companies registering each year. This figure was considered low by some of those who responded to consultation, but they did not produce any evidence on which to base a different forecast of initial take-up. The management of voluntary organisations seems to me to be a quite separate issue.

Export Control Organisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for the Export Arms Sales Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Control Organisation is currently considering how best it can continue to deliver high quality export licensing services to industry and contribute to the Government's counter-proliferation effort. No decisions have been taken.

Export Control Organisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed in the Export Arms Sales Unit at the end of March in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004; and how many are planned for (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) had 146 staff in post at end March 2003,158 staff at end March 2004, and 143 staff at end March 2005. There is an overall target for an ECO headcount of 109 by 1 April 2006.

Export Control Organisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the tradesunions over the future of the Export Arms Sales Unit.

Malcolm Wicks: I am in the process of arranging such discussions.

Export Control Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government have received from other governments regarding his Department's consideration of private sector involvement in delivering some of the Export Control Organisation's services.

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Export Control Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by the Export Control Organisation in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) had an average of staff:
	
		
			  Staff 
		
		
			 2000–01 143 
			 2001–02 142 
			 2002–03 146 
			 2003–04 156 
			 2004–05 142

MG Rover

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will publish in full the findings of the Financial Reporting Council into the finances of MG-Rover; and when the Council is expected to report.

Ian Pearson: My then right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 31 May the appointment of inspectors to investigate and report on the affairs of MG Rover Group, including Phoenix Venture Holdings Ltd. and MGR Capital Ltd. It is intended that the inspectors will do their work as quickly as possible and their report will be published.
	The Financial Reporting Review Panel have not published their report and the Government have been advised that to do so would be prejudicial to those potentially affected by it and to the regulatory process.

THORP Plant

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what period of time elapsed between instruments at the Thorp plant indicating that a leak of radioactive material was occurring and the decision being taken to close the facility.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 June 2005
	British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd. suspended operations at THORP as soon as it became clear to them that a leak was occurring. However the results of BNGSL's investigation suggests that the pipe may have started to fail in August 2004 and that complete failure of the pipe may have occurred in mid January 2005. Opportunities such as cell sampling and level measurements were missed which would have shown that material was escaping to secondary containment.
	A British Nuclear Group investigation has made recommendations to improve the maintenance, testing and reliability of cell instrumentation and other systems that give indications of plant abnormality. A separate independent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is considering both technical issues and broader safety culture and management of nuclear safety issues, and this will provide the basis for any subsequent enforcement actions.

Unsolicited Telephone Calls

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government have taken to ensure that owners of mobile phones do not receive unsolicited calls from firms selling goods.

Alun Michael: The Department introduced the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations in 1999, which provides a scheme called the Telephone Preference Service scheme. This provides protection to mobile phone subscribers from receiving unsolicited calls from firms selling goods. The Information Commissioner's Office has responsibility for the enforcement of the TPS scheme.

TRANSPORT

Air Travel Levy

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will introduce a levy on all UK outbound flights to pay for protection arrangements for air travellers;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to replace ATOL bonding with a simple levy on outbound UK air passengers to pay for consumer protection of air travellers.

Karen Buck: The Department is considering the Civil Aviation Authority's economic analysis and assessment of the likely regulatory impact of a range of options for the future financial protection of air travellers.

Aircraft Insurance Costs

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the effect of regulations on the levels of insurance premiums relating to vintage aircraft, with particular reference to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.

Karen Buck: On 2 June the Department attended a meeting of the European Commission's Ad-Hoc Group on aviation insurance and expressed concern at the effect of Regulation 785/2004 on the cost of vintage aircraft insurance. The chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority has also written to the Commission on the same issue.

Cars

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average mileage of a car was in the UK for each year since 1985.

Stephen Ladyman: Data from the National Travel Survey is shown in the table. Data from 1990 to 2002 are presented on a three-year rolling average basis.
	
		Average annual car mileage
		
			  Miles 
		
		
			 1985–86 8,880 
			 1990 9,600 
			 1991 9,570 
			 1992 9,490 
			 1993 9,540 
			 1994 9,550 
			 1995 9,510 
			 1996 9,370 
			 1997 9,280 
			 1998 9,200 
			 1999 9,270 
			 2000 9,100 
			 2001 9,040 
			 2002 8,960

Cars

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars have ceased to be licensed in each year since 1985.

Stephen Ladyman: The estimated number of cars that have ceased to be licensed during each year is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of cars (million) 
		
		
			 1985 1.39 
			 1986 1.30 
			 1987 1.52 
			 1988 1.15 
			 1989 1.44 
			 1990 1.48 
			 1991 1.57 
			 1992 1.40 
			 1993 1.47 
			 1994 1.48 
			 1995 1.78 
			 1996 1.21 
			 1997 1.56 
			 1998 1.76 
			 1999 1.53 
			 2000 1.87 
			 2001 1.85 
			 2002 2.03 
			 2003 2.18 
			 2004 1.81

Motorway Fencing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he uses to determine whether a particular stretch of motorway should have fencing installed alongside the carriageway; how many miles of motorway in England and Wales have met such criteria; and how many miles of fencing have been erected to date.

Stephen Ladyman: The Secretary of State for Transport is responsible for the strategic road network, comprising motorways and high-speed all-purpose trunk roads, in England. The National Assembly for Wales is responsible for roads in Wales.
	Fencing designed to control the spread of traffic noise is often provided on the strategic road network to mitigate the effects of increased traffic noise arising from both newly constructed and substantially improved strategic roads. The need for these is considered as part of the assessment of the overall impact of the scheme on the surrounding environment. There are no specific criteria, but a judgment is made about their cost-effectiveness, taking into consideration the sensitivity of the area and the number of people affected, compared with the alternative of providing statutory insulation of residential properties meeting the criteria specified in the Noise Insulation Regulations 1975.
	In addition, this type of fencing has been provided at a number of locations meeting sift criteria announced on 22 March 1999 in conjunction with a £5 million annual ring-fenced budget.
	To date, various lengths of fencing have been provided to protect groups of properties within 26 locations on the strategic road network that qualified for consideration under the sift criteria identified in the announcement. A further four locations will have barriers provided this year. Information on the exact lengths of fencing that have been provided at these locations is not held centrally.

Oil Tankers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the policy of the Government is on the transport of crude oil in single hull tankers in the area of the Solent.

Stephen Ladyman: Single hull tankers carrying heavy grade oils, including the heavier grades of crude oil (high density or high viscosity), are not allowed to enter or leave a port or offshore terminal or anchor in an area under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.
	International agreements still allow the lighter grades of crude oil to be carried in single hull tankers. By 2006, these tankers will have been constructed with some form of protection against collision or grounding. These tankers will no longer be allowed to enter or leave a port or offshore terminal or anchor in an area under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom in 2010, unless they are modified to comply with the double hull construction requirements of the IMO MARPOL Annex I regulations.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the numbers of pedicabs and rickshaws operating on a commercial basis.

Karen Buck: None, though I understand Transport for London estimate that there are about 200 pedicabs in operation in London.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the numbers of passengers using pedicabs and rickshaws in a year.

Karen Buck: This information is not available. It is not collected by the Department and to do so would involve disproportionate cost in relation to the small numbers of passengers carried.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tests he has commissioned to assess the structural safety of pedicabs and rickshaws; when those tests were undertaken; and what the results were.

Karen Buck: The Department has not commissioned any tests of pedicabs or rickshaws.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce minimum standards of structural safety for pedicabs and rickshaws.

Karen Buck: Pedicabs and pedal rickshaws are three-wheeled pedal cycles and thus fall under the requirements of the Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1983 and the road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended. They are also subject to the EC Directive on General Product Safety. There are no plans to introduce new minimum standards of structural safety for pedicabs or rickshaws.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what standards relating to vehicle construction and maintenance apply to (a) pedicabs and rickshaws plying for hire and (b) licensed taxis.

Karen Buck: Pedicabs and pedal rickshaws are three-wheeled pedal cycles and therefore fall under the Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1983. Lighting requirements are prescribed in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended. The vehicles are also subject to the EC Directive on General Product Safety.
	Licensed taxis, like other powered road vehicles, must comply with the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 as amended and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended. In addition, new cars, including taxis, must have European Whole Vehicle Type Approval.
	Local licensing authorities determine suitable construction standards for licensed taxis, beyond statutory roadworthiness requirements. In London, Transport for London's Conditions of Fitness essentially define the London-style cab. Elsewhere each authority formulates its own policy. Outside London a pedicab or pedal rickshaw can be licensed as a hackney carriage (taxi) under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. In London they are not currently licensed.
	The testing of licensed taxis is also for licensing authorities, who have powers to monitor vehicles' continued suitability during the currency of a licence, by spot checks or formal testing.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training is required of riders of pedicabs and rickshaws plying for hire.

Karen Buck: In England and Wales, outside London, if pedicabs or rickshaws are licensed as hackney carriages by the relevant local authority then any training requirements for drivers would be a matter for that local authority.
	Inside London, pedicabs are not currently subject to licensing controls and there are no mandatory requirements for training, though I understand some pedicab operators provide training to their drivers.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what injuries have occurred to passengers in pedicabs and rickshaws in the last 12 months.

Karen Buck: The information requested is not available. Information regarding accidents involving pedicabs or rickshaws are not separately identified in the Department's road accident collection system. Pedicabs or rickshaws are included in other vehicles whose body type is categorised as pedal cycle".

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what insurance must be obtained by the riders or owners of pedicabs and rickshaws plying for hire.

Karen Buck: In England and Wales, outside London, if pedicabs are licensed as hackney carriages by the relevant local authority then any insurance requirements would be a matter for that local authority in the context of its licensing regime.
	Inside London, pedicabs are not subject to licensing controls and there is no statutory requirement for riders or owners to have insurance.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in the last 12 months about the activities of riders and operators of pedicabs and rickshaws.

Karen Buck: We have received two letters making representations on this matter in the last year.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with Transport for London about the activities of riders and operators of pedicabs and rickshaws in the last 12 months.

Karen Buck: The Department's Ministers or officials have had no meetings with Transport for London specifically on these matters in the last 12 months.

Pedicabs/Rickshaws

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will convene a meeting of representatives of Transport for London, the police, affected local authorities and other relevant parties to discuss the activities of riders and operators of pedicabs and rickshaws.

Karen Buck: There are no current plans to call such a meeting, but this is being kept under review.

Rail Passengers Council

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which newspapers advertisements were placed for recruitment of members of the Rail Passengers Council.

Derek Twigg: Advertisements for the 12 member appointments that the Secretary of State has recently made to the Rail Passengers Council were placed in The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Western Mail, The Glasgow Herald and The Scotsman.

Road Accidents

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many personal injury accidents there have been on the roads in each Government Office Region in each year since 1990; how many involved serious injuries; and how many (a) people in total and (b) children died.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Road Freight

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the annual movement of freight by road, in billion tonne kilometres, for each year from 1997 to date.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 14 June 2005
	Information is as follows.
	
		Freight transport by road in Great Britain(19)
		
			  Billion tonne kilometres 
		
		
			 1997 157 
			 1998 160 
			 1999 157 
			 2000 158 
			 2001 157 
			 2002 157 
			 2003 159 
		
	
	(19) Figures are for freight moved within Great Britain by UK registered goods vehicles, including those up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight.
	Source:
	Table 4.1 Transport Statistics Great Britain

Speed Cameras

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed safety cameras there have been in Tamworth in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information broken down as requested is not held centrally by the Department. The Staffordshire Safety Camera Partnership publishes details of the number of safety camera sites, by local authority area, available through its website, www.staffordshire.gov.uk/cameralifesavers.

Speed Cameras

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras were installed in each Government Office Region in each year since 1990.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department only holds the requested information at Safety Camera Partnership level. I refer to my answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, columns 617–19W. Further detailed information is available from partnerships.

Traffic Volume

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average 24 hour traffic volume has been in each month since January at the (a) Norton Canes to A34 Great Wyrley, (b) Shenstone to Chasetown and (c) Wishaw to A38 automatic traffic counters on the M6 toll road on (i) Mondays to Fridays, (ii) Saturdays and (iii) Sundays.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not held by the Department for Transport. The M6 Toll road is operated by Midlands Expressway Ltd. Further information may be available on their website (m6toll.co.uk).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what standards for animal welfare will apply to agri-environmental schemes under the England Rural Development Programme from 2007–08; and what discretion she has to seek derogations from EU standards.

Jim Knight: Negotiations on the draft Rural Development Regulation are expected to reach a conclusion at the Agriculture Council on 20–22 June. We expect that an animal welfare measure will—as now—be among the options available to member states; although not as part of a combined agri-environment and animal welfare measure. Decisions on whether to make payments under this measure from 2007 are part of the process of designing a successor Rural Development Programme, and will be taken in the light of responses to a full consultation this autumn. There will be difficult choices to make about how best to allocate limited resources but we will bear in mind the importance of ensuring that legal animal welfare requirements are fully adhered to.

Animal Welfare

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she intends to use the UK's presidency of the European Union to improve animal welfare standards in the broiler industry.

Ben Bradshaw: The EU has an important role to play in regard to farm animal welfare. The European Commission intend to introduce proposals for a Directive on the welfare of broiler chickens later this year which we plan to progress during the UK's presidency.

Badger Culling

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the results of the validation of the survey in the badger culling trial areas.

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISO) has analysed 2002–03 data and intends to present the 2004 data at its July 2005 meeting, after which we will need to decide on the value of the data.

Cormorants

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences to kill cormorants have been issued in each Government Office region under her Department's revised policy announced on 16 September 2004; and how many cormorants have been licensed to be killed in each region as a result of such licences.

Jim Knight: Up until 8 June 2005 the Department granted 325 licences. The minimum number of birds which have been licensed to be killed is 1,957 although actual numbers of birds killed is likely to be less. The data on licences per region is not currently available. National licensing statistics, along with the number of cormorant licences issued in each Government office region, will be published in the summer.

Departmental Union Representatives

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many trade union learning representatives there are in her Department.

Jim Knight: There are currently 15 union learning reps in Defra from both the Public and Commercial Services Union and Prospect but more are planned. Defra has worked with the unions to develop a Union Learning Reps agreement covering their role. Both Defra and Defra unions are committed to working in partnership with each other to promote and support lifelong learning activities and opportunities inside and outside the workplace.

Foot and Mouth

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response she will make to the main findings of the cost-benefit study of foot and mouth disease control strategies, with particular reference to vaccination.

Ben Bradshaw: The report indicates the overall size and cost of any future outbreaks are very likely to be less than in 2001 because there are now fewer movements of livestock, we have a movement stand still and there would be an immediate national movement ban and swift implementation of the revised contingency plan when foot and mouth disease (FMD) is first detected. It therefore supports the steps the Government have taken since 2001 to manage the risk of another outbreak.
	Overall, the report suggests that vaccination reduces the size and extent of medium and large outbreaks—although at an additional financial cost in all but the largest outbreaks.
	The basic disease control policy required under the new EU FMD Directive remains the slaughter of all susceptible animals on premises infected with FMD and those identified as dangerous contacts". However, the Directive gives greater prominence to the potential use of emergency vaccination, as an additional control measure to culling.
	The Government will consider emergency vaccination as a disease control option from the start of any outbreak of FMD; on the basis of vaccinate to live, wherever possible. This is in line with the recommendations of the main FMD Inquiries.
	The Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) will help us gauge which disease control option we should use in which circumstance. It will also help us plan resources for an outbreak and generally improve our understanding of the costs of different disease control policies.
	The CBA report does not, however, propose a unique single strategy for dealing with a future outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
	The epidemiological and economic information the report provides, will be used to help determine the most appropriate control strategy or strategies to regain FMD-free status without routine vaccination under a range of defined circumstances, should the disease break out in the future.

Hazardous Waste

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many convictions have been secured by the Environment Agency's for fly-tipping of hazardous waste since 16 July 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: There have been four such convictions since 16 July 2004. However, the Environment Agency follows the general principles set out in its Enforcement and Prosecutions Policy which means that preventive or remedial action is taken to protect the environment or to secure compliance with the regulatory system governing waste.
	During July 2004 to April 2005 the agency dealt with 527 fly-tipping incidents involving asbestos or chemical drums/oil/fuel.

Hazardous Waste

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much hazardous waste was produced in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004;
	(2)  how many producers of hazardous waste there were in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The data derived from the Environment Agency special waste tracking system are as follows:
	
		
			  Quantity of special waste produced (tonnes) Number of hazardous waste producers 
		
		
			 2000 5,196,000 117,420 
			 2001 5,214,000 99,829 
			 2002 5,058,000 91,194 
			 2003 4,772,000 96,050 
			 2004 (20)— 87,749 
		
	
	(20) Available in August 2005

Nappies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the life cycle assessment on disposable and reusable nappies recently published by the Environment Agency, with particular reference to (a) the reusable nappy product sample used and (b) the methodology used to collect the consumer data; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government consider that the Environment Agency's LCA is a useful piece of work. It nevertheless considers that further work should be carried out to look at the environmental impacts of the main re-usables in current use. The survey forming the basis of the LCA was carried out in 2002–03 and showed that terry nappies were the main type of reusable nappy used. 2004 sales data suggest that pre-fold nappies have overtaken terries with more than 50 per cent. of sales. So the LCA needs to be reassessed reflecting the environmental impacts of recent increases in the proportion of other types of reusable nappies. The Environment Agency has been asked to commission this further work.

Nappies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies she has to reduce the number of disposable nappies going to landfill.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have tough targets to meet under the Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. The Government strategy to meet these targets includes measures to minimise the amount of waste. As part of this the Government are funding, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a programme on reusable nappies.
	The aim of the WRAP programme is to convert 155,000 households to re-usable nappies by April 2006, thereby diverting 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill.
	The WRAP programme includes making information available to parents, health care professions and other points of contact for parents e.g. nurseries. WRAP is also working to raise the profile of existing nappy laundering businesses and supporting the development of others.

Primates

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce a ban on the keeping of primates as pets.

Jim Knight: We are looking carefully at this issue, and plan to go out to public consultation by the end of July to seek views on how powers under Article 8.2 of European Council Regulation 338/97 should be used in relation to the holding of specimens of certain exotic animals subject to control under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), including primates.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in her Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Jim Knight: The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (RRA) 2000 places a general duty on Government Departments to have regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial groups.
	In line with the specific duties imposed the Department published a Race Equality Scheme which set out how the Department planned to meet the duties imposed; including those relating to training; The Department is committed to ensuring that its staff are properly trained so that they can make equality and diversity core issues to their work, whatever their area of responsibility. Specialist equal opportunities training for those working in areas which impacted directly on people was provided to 262 staff in the last financial year. The grade and ethnicity breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  White Asian Black Mixed Other Unknown Total 
		
		
			 SCS 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 G6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 G7 19 2 0 0 1 8 30 
			 SEO 6 0 0 0 0 4 10 
			 HEO 33 2 2 0 0 11 48 
			 EO 43 4 8 3 1 16 75 
			 AO 47 7 6 0 0 17 77 
			 AA 8 0 2 2 0 7 19 
			 Total 157 15 18 5 3 64 262 
		
	
	Training on issues relating to race, and other key equality areas are incorporated into a range of learning opportunities, including comprehensive information and guidance on the Departments internal website. The Diversity and Equality Unit have provided a number of presentations to Business Units (over 100 staff) and have used these to facilitate discussions on a number of equality issues. These included work required within business units to address the duties arising from the RRA and other equality legislation e.g. the impending duties relating to disability.
	Specific training on the duties arising from the RRA delivered through an external consultant were provided to staff working in areas identified in the Race Equality Scheme as relevant to the RRA. The seminars provided an overview of the responsibilities arising from the RRA as well as guidance on mainstreaming race equality in policy development and in service delivery. Feedback from recent workshops which was specifically targeted at senior managers is currently being evaluated. It will be used to inform the work under way to review the Race Equality Scheme and future strategies for providing staff with the required training. Details of staff attending specific Race Relations training is as follows:
	
		
			  White Asian Black Mixed Other Unknown Total 
		
		
			 SCS 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 G6 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 
			 G7 28 0 0 1 0 4 12 
			 SEO 29 0 0 0 0 1 30 
			 HEO 63 0 3 1 1 1 69 
			 EO 36 1 2 1 0 0 99 
			 AO 18 0 5 0 0 2 25 
			 AA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 186 1 10 3 1 8 247 
		
	
	Currently the Department is unable to monitor comprehensively attendance at all training events. The new Human Resource database which was introduced in July 2004 should enable such monitoring in the future. However the module that will provide this functionality has not yet been rolled out. Data are therefore only available for courses which were organised centrally. As a result we are unable to provide details of attendees at locally organised events which were arranged by Business Units to provide staff with training on the specific duties arising within their work area, although we are aware of a number of such events. This information should be available in the future.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of her Department comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Jim Knight: The Race Relations (Amendment Act) 2000 places the general duty on a large number of specified public authorities. The core Department's Race Equality Scheme covers the Departments two smallest Executive Agencies, the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. The remaining Executive Agencies have produced Agency specific Schemes using the core Department's Scheme as a model. Annual progress reports are produced and the Schemes are discussed regularly as part of an ongoing review process.
	In addition the Home Secretary has made Orders under the Act to place the 'specific duties' on named public authorities. These include a number of non-departmental public bodies for which Defra has responsibility in the following table. Although these Bodies are not required to produce a Race Equality Scheme they are expected to follow the lead of the core Department in addressing the general duties imposed. This list is updated periodically in consultation with the CRE and other Government departments and amended to take account of new Bodies and to delete defunct Bodies.
	The Department's Race Equality Scheme is currently being reviewed and as part of this work we will be working closely with all bodies for which we have responsibility to ensure that due regard is taken of the duties imposed by the Act. The Commission for Racial Equality has reviewed the Race Equality Scheme and have commented favourably on a number of areas. Any areas highlighted as requiring additional action will be addressed as part of the current review of the Scheme.
	
		
			  Original order Schedule 1A General duty Employment Equality scheme 
		
		
			 Executive non-departmental public bodies  
			 NDPB  
			 (England and Wales) (AWB) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Agricultural Wages Committee (England) (AWC) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Apple and Pear Research Council (APRC) — No No No No 
			 British Potato Council (BPC) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Countryside Agency — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 English Nature (EN) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Environment Agency (EA) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Food for Britain (FFB) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Home-Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Horticultural Development Council (HOC) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) — Non statutory No No No 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) — No No No No 
			 Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Milk Development Council (MDC) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 National Forest Company (MFC) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Regional Flood Defence Committees — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Sea Fish Industry Authority (SFIA) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) — Non statutory No No No 
			 Wine Standards Board of the Vinters' Company (WSB) — Yes Yes Yes No 
			   
			 Advisory NDPBs  
			 Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (ACBE) — No No No No 
			 Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE) — No legal status No No No 
			 Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances (ACHS) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Advisory Committee on Packaging — No No No No 
			 Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (of genetically modified organisms) (ACRE) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees (ADHACs) — Yes Yes No No 
			 Agricultural Waste Stakeholders' Forum — 
			 Air Quality Expert Group (replaces the former Airborne Particles Expert Group) — No No No No 
			 Air Quality Forum — No No No No 
			 Committee of Investigation for Great Britain — 
			 Committee on Agricultural Valuation — No No No No 
			 Committee on Products and Processes — No No No No 
			 Consumers' Committee for Great Britain under the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958 — No No No No 
			 Darwin Advisory Committee (the Darwin Initiative) — No No No No 
			 Expert Group on Cryptosporidium in — 
			 Water Supplies — No No No No 
			 Expert panel on Air Quality Standards — No No No No 
			 Expert panel on Sustainable Development Education — No No No No 
			 Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) — Non statutory
			 Government/Industry Forum on Non-Food Use Crops — No No No No 
			 Hill Farming Advisory Committee for England, Wales and NI — No No No No 
			 Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB — No No No No 
			 Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council — Yes Yes No No 
			 National Expert Group on Transboundary Air Pollution — No No No No 
			 Pesticide Residues Committee — No No No No 
			 Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee — No No No No 
			 Regional Environment Protection Advisory Committees — — — — — 
			 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution — Yes No No No 
			 Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee — No No No No 
			 Sustainable Development Commission — No No No No 
			 Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee (TUSDAC) — No No No No 
			 Veterinary Products Committee — No No No No 
			 Water Regulations Advisory Committee (WRAC) — No No No No 
			 Zoos Forum — No NO No No 
			   
			 Public Corporations  
			 British Waterways — Yes Yes Yes No 
			 Covent Garden Market Authority — Yes Yes Yes No 
			   
			 Tribunals and other bodies 
			 Agricultural Land Tribunals — All judicial bodies are exempt   
			 British Wool Marketing Board — Yes Yes Yes no 
			 Commons Commissioners  All judicial bodies are exempt   
			 Dairy Produce Quota Tribunal — — — — — 
			 Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal — All judicial bodies are exempt   
			 British Wool Marketing Board — Yes Yes Yes No 
			  
			 Chemicals Stakeholder Forum — No No No No 
			 Hazardous Waste Forum — No No No No 
			 National Parks and Boards Authorities — Yes Yes Yes  
			 National Rural Development Forum — No No No No 
			 Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime — No No No No 
			 Pesticides Forum — No No No No 
			 UK Biodiversity Group — No No No No 
			   
			 Defra and its Agencies 
			 Defra Yes — Yes Yes Yes 
			 PSD Yes — Yes Yes Covered by Defra scheme 
			 VMD Yes — Yes Yes Covered by Defra scheme 
			 VLA Yes — Yes Yes Yes 
			 CSL Yes — Yes Yes Yes 
			 CEFAS Yes — Yes Yes Yes 
			 RPA Yes — Yes Yes To be covered by Defra scheme from 2004

Recycling

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much plastic per person was recycled in (a) Brent, East and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the amount of plastic per person collected for recycling by local authorities as reported to the Defra annual survey of Municipal Waste Management. These figures underestimate the total amount of plastics collected for recycling since some authorities collect an unknown amount of plastics for recycling as part of a mixed (co-mingled) collection of recyclables:
	
		Plastics recycling
		
			 kg per capita 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham — — — — — — — 
			 Barnet — — — — (21)— 0.1 0.1 
			 Bexley — — — — 0.1 0.2 0.4 
			 Brent — — — — — — ~ 
			 Bromley — — — — 0.1 0.4 1.1 
			 Camden (21)— (21)— — 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 
			 City of London — — — — — — — 
			 Croydon — — — — — — — 
			 Ealing (21)— — — — (21)— 0.3 0.5 
			 Enfield — — — — — — 1.2 
			 Greenwich 0.2 — — — — — — 
			 Hackney — — — — — — — 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — — — — — — — 
			 Haringey — — — — — — — 
			 Harrow — — — — — — — 
			 Havering — — — 0.1 1.0 — — 
			 Hillingdon — — — — — — 0.1 
			 Hounslow 0.1 — — — — — — 
			 Islington — — — — — — — 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.6  
			 Kingston upon Thames — 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 — 5.2 
			 Lambeth — — — — — — — 
			 Lewisham — — — — — — (21)— 
			 Merton — — — — — — — 
			 Newham — — — — — (21)— — 
			 Redbridge — 0.2 0.9 0.2 0.3 0.4 — 
			 Richmond upon Thames — 0.1 — — — — — 
			 Southwark — — — — — — — 
			 Sutton 0.3 0.3 1.2 0.6 0.4 — — 
			 Tower Hamlets — — — — — — — 
		
	
	(21) Represents less than 0.05kg per capita.
	Note:
	1. The results shown are for plastics only waste recycling collections—excludes unknown amount of material collected through co-mingled recyclable collections.
	2. In addition to the figures a small proportion of plastics recycling is collected through London Waste Disposal Authority run Civic Amenity Sites. As this only amounts to approximately 0.1 per cent. of all plastic only recycling, an attempt to record and apportion this small tonnage has not been made.

Rubbish Collection

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost of collecting rubbish was, per household, in each English region in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The average expenditure on waste collection per household by region from 2000–01 to 2003–04 is shown in the following table. Comparable data prior to 2000–01 are not held centrally.
	
		Average expenditure on waste collection per household by region from 2000–01 to 2003–04
		
			 £ 
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 North East 31.4 31.3 32.5 35.2 
			 North West 27.4 28.4 30.5 34.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 30.7 31.9 33.9 39.0 
			 East Midlands 30.8 32.6 33.9 38.3 
			 West Midlands 29.6 31.9 34.3 41.1 
			 East of England 30.1 31.1 33.5 37.5 
			 London 36.1 38.9 40.3 46.5 
			 South East 30.3 33.5 37.0 41.5 
			 South West 29.6 32.6 33.1 36.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Regional averages have been calculated by dividing the sum of BV 86 data for each local authority by the number of authorities in each region.
	2. Authorities that did not supply data for BV 86 have been excluded from the calculation of regional averages for that year.
	3. Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) data from 2001–02 (including the data above) are available on the BVPI website at: http://www.bvpi.gov.uk/.
	Source:
	ODPM Best Value Performance Indicator data (BV 86)

Rubbish Collection

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) public tip and (b) large scale rubbish facilities there were on the last date for which figures are available; and how many there were in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is currently being collated by the Environment Agency from a variety of sources. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans her Department has to reclassify motor sport under the 28-day rule of the Single Farm Payment scheme;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the viability of the future use of agricultural land for motor sports under Single Farm Payment rules.

Jim Knight: Land used in support of applications for payment under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) must be at applicants' disposal for the 10-month period nominated on their application forms. Under recently updated guidance issued by the Department, motor sports may take place on up to 28 days during the nominated 10-month period, in addition to all of the remaining two months of the year. The updated guidance takes on board representations made by motor sports interests and, overall, we would expect the impact of the SPS on the availability of agricultural land used for such sports to be limited. There are no immediate plans to further update the guidance, but it will be reviewed for the 2006 scheme in the light of experience of this first year of operation of the SPS.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the regulatory restrictions governing the carrying out of motor sports on agricultural land are imposed under EU statutory requirements.

Jim Knight: For the purposes of the Single Payment Scheme, the relevant EU legislation is Council Regulation No. 1782/2003. Title II, Chapter 1 covers the requirements related to cross-compliance while Title III, Chapter 3, Section 1 covers the requirements related to eligibility of land.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons sugar beet is treated differently from potatoes in relation to authorised entitlements on land under the Single Farm Payments system.

Jim Knight: The EU rules for the 'flat-rate' model of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) adopted in England are designed to avoid any SPS related increase in production of fruit, vegetables and potatoes and so avoid disadvantaging growers of these crops in those parts of the EU which did not adopt the 'flat-rate' model. There is no need for similar rules in relation to sugar beet as quotas still limit production of that crop.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received concerning the impact of the eligibility rules for Single Farm Payment on off-road motor sport events; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has issued guidance on the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and non-agricultural use of land which balances the need for diversification opportunities with the necessity to abide by EU rules on eligibility of land under the scheme. Following representations from a number of motor sports organisations and enthusiasts, that guidance has recently been updated. Motor sports are now placed in a category which allows for events to take place on up to 28 days during the 10-month period that farmers must declare, for SPS payment purposes, that they have the required amount of eligible land at their disposal. In addition, such events may take place on that land at any time during the remaining two months of the year. It remains the case that all claims for SPS payment are subject to observance of set cross-compliance conditions, which apply for the whole calendar year.

Trees

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of trees (a) had full crowns, (b) had slight defoliation, (c) had moderate defoliation, (d) had severe defoliation and (e) were dead in the most recent survey of tree health in Europe under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, broken down by country.

Jim Knight: The following table has been compiled by the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests—a body operating under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution.
	
		Defoliation of all species by classes and class aggregates—2004
		
			 Participating countries Area surveyed (1,000 ha) Number of sample trees 0 none 1 slight 2 moderate 3 severe 4 dead 
		
		
			 Albania — 8,970 42.7 45.1 10.9 1.3 0.0 
			 Andorra 17 72 16.7 47.2 25.0 8.3 2.8 
			 Austria 3,481 3,582 51.4 35.4 10.4 2.6 0.2 
			 Belarus 7,845 9,603 40.0 50.0 7.7 1.1 1.2 
			 Belgium 691 2,966 38.2 42.4 16.5 2.6 0.3 
			 Bulgaria 3,314 4,356 19.8 40.5 34.8 2.2 2.7 
			 Croatia 2,061 2,082 35.3 39.5 22.8 2.3 0.1 
			 Cyprus 138 360 22.5 65.3 12.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Czech Republic 2,630 6,585 11.7 31.0 56.2 0.8 0.3 
			 Denmark 468 576 64.9 23.3 8.7 2.6 0.5 
			 Estonia 2,267 2,201 49.4 45.3 4.8 0.2 0.3 
			 Finland 20,020 11,210 57.1 33.1 9.0 0.7 0.1 
			 France 13,100 10,219 32.0 36.3 27.7 3.2 0.8 
			 Germany 10,890 13,741 27.6 41.0 28.5 2.6 0.3 
			 Greece (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Hungary 1,836 28,313 39.9 38.6 15.6 3.1 2.8 
			 Ireland 399 403 56.8 25.8 15.9 1.5 0.0 
			 Italy 8,675 7,111 20.5 43.6 31.4 4.1 0.4 
			 Latvia 2,923 8,384 20.9 66.6 10.2 1.6 0.7 
			 Liechtenstein (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Lithuania 2,069 6,243 10.7 75.4 11.4 1.6 0.9 
			 Luxembourg (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Rep. of Moldova 318 11,895 30.1 35.9 28.6 5.3 0.1 
			 The Netherlands 210 232 52.2 20.3 23.7 2.5 1.3 
			 Norway 12,000 8,191 43.3 36.0 17.7 2.8 0.2 
			 Poland 6,968 25,520 8.3 57.1 32.5 1.7 0.4 
			 Portugal 3,234 3,990 44.8 38.6 14.5 2.1 0.0 
			 Romania 6,244 100,041 62.5 25.8 10.3 0.8 0.6 
			 Russian Fed. (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 1,868 3,031 58.3 27.4 13.4 0.9 0.0 
			 Slovak Republic 1,961 4,216 11.3 62.0 25.7 0.8 0.2 
			 Slovenia 1,099 1,008 30.5 40.2 24.2 4.4 0.7 
			 Spain 11,588 14,880 24.0 61.0 11.9 1.1 2.0 
			 Sweden 20,600 14,805 48.8 34.7 13.9 1.9 0.5 
			 Switzerland 1,186 1,041 25.6 45.3 20.2 1.4 7.5 
			 Turkey (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Ukraine 918 1,395 18.6 51.5 27.9 1.4 0.6 
			 United Kingdom 2,156 8,328 24.2 49.3 24.7 1.1 0.7 
		
	
	(22) No survey in 2004.
	Note:
	1. Serbia and Montenegro: Serbia only.
	2. Some differences in the level of damage across national borders may be at least partly due to differences in standards used. This restriction, however, does not affect the reliability of the trends over time.

Waste Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition (a) her Department, (b) the European Commission and (c) the European Environment Agency uses for (i) biodegradable waste, (ii) municipal waste, (iii) commercial waste, (iv) hazardous waste, (v) industrial waste, (vi) recycling, (vii) recovery, (viii) composting and (ix) waste minimisation.

Ben Bradshaw: Where terms are defined in European Community (EC) law, that definition is used by the Department, the European Commission and the European Environment Agency. EU directives, including their definitions, are binding on member states and their competent authorities". The European Commission is responsible for ensuring the implementation of directives, assisted by the objective and comparable information provided by the European Environment Agency. In the case of terms for which a relevant definition is not provided by Community law, the Department uses national definitions. The following definitions are in use:
	(i) Biodegradable waste" is defined in Article 2(m) of the EC Landfill Directive (Council Directive 1999/31/EC) (LFD);
	(ii) Municipal waste" is defined in Article 2(b) of the LFD. Where the term is used in a context other than implementation of the LFD, the Department uses the appropriate national definition;
	(iii) Commercial waste" is a national term which is defined in section 75(7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with refinement provided by regulation 6 of and Schedule 4 to the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992;
	(iv) Hazardous waste" is defined in Article 1(4) of the EC Hazardous Waste Directive (Council Directive 91/689/EEC);
	(v) Industrial waste" is a national term which is defined in section 75(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with refinement provided by regulation 5 of and Schedule 3 to the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992;
	(vi) Recycling" is a term which is used but is not defined in the EC Waste Framework Directive (Council Directive 75/442/EEC as amended) (WFD). While there is no common definition of recycling" in Community law, there are definitions of recycling" in the EC Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (Directive 94/62/EC as amended), the EC End of Life Vehicles Directive (Directive 2000/53/EC) (ELV) and the EC Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (Directive 2002/96/EC as amended) (WEEE). These definitions apply for the purposes of each of these directives;
	(vii) Recovery" is defined in Article 1(f) of the WFD by reference to Annex MB of that directive. For the purposes of the Packaging and Packaging Waste, ELV and WEEE directives, the definition of recovery" is limited to the applicable operations" in Annex MB to the WFD;
	(viii) Composting" is used but is not defined in the WFD. However, the list of recovery operations in Annex IIB to the WFD includes at R3 Recycling/reclamation of organic substances which are not used as solvents (including composting and other biological transformation processes)"; and
	(ix) Waste minimisation" is not defined in either Community or national legislation.

Waste Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency will publish its final report on the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill by mechanical biological treatment and other options.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Agency intends to publish its final guidance on sampling and testing for evaluating the performance of mechanical biological treatment plant in reducing the biodegradability of municipal waste in July 2005.

Waste Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money was spent on municipal waste management in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2002–03; and how many tonnes of municipal waste were recycled in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2002–03.

Ben Bradshaw: In 2002–03 4.6 million tonnes of municipal waste were recycled, rising to 5.5 million tonnes in 2003–04. The net revenue expenditure on municipal waste management is shown in the following table:
	
		£
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Waste collection 752,143,000 865,098,000 
			 Waste disposal 1,054,541,000 1,139,041,000 
			 Total waste management 1,806,684,000 2,004,139,000

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total volume of (a) domestic, (b) commercial and (c) other waste was in each region in each year since 2001–02; what this represents per head of population; and what proportion of each category of waste was (i) sent to landfill, (ii) incinerated and (iii) disposed of by other means in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on domestic waste from the Management Survey for 2001–02, 2002–03 government region is shown below:
	
		
			  Municipal waste— Tonnes (Thousand) Kilogrammes per head Landfilled (Percentage) Incinerated (Percentage) Other (Percentage) 
		
		
			 2001–02  
			 North East 1,572 624 78 15 7 
			 North West 4,183 620 86 2 11 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,013 606 85 4 12 
			 East Midlands 2,409 576 78 6 15 
			 West Midlands 2,985 565 57 32 12 
			 East 2,999 555 80 1 18 
			 London 4,438 607 73 19 8 
			 South East 4,477 558 79 0 21 
			 South West 2,830 573 81 0 19 
			 England 28,905 585 78 8 14 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 North East 1,657 653 76 14 10 
			 North West 4,344 640 83 3 14 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,001 601 79 7 14 
			 East Midlands 2,449 580 78 6 17 
			 West Midlands 3,046 574 54 32 14 
			 East 3,012 555 79 1 20 
			 London 4,446 603 71 20 9 
			 South East 4,538 564 76 0 23 
			 South West 2,901 584 78 0 22 
			 England 29,394 592 75 9 16 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 North East 1,637 645 70 13 17 
			 North West 4,380 644 80 3 18 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,931 585 75 8 16 
			 East Midlands 2,445 575 73 6 21 
			 West Midlands 3,031 570 53 31 17 
			 East 2,944 539 75 1 24 
			 London 4,342 588 70 19 11 
			 South East 4,529 560 73 2 25 
			 South West 2,865 573 76 0 24 
			 England 29,105 584 72 9 19 
		
	
	Note:
	Totals and percentages might not add up due to rounding.
	The latest year for which full information on industrial and commercial waste is available is 1998–99, from the Environment Agency's National Waste Production Survey, Strategic Waste Management Information for England and Wales. Results can be found at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk. Results from the 2002–03 survey will be published shortly.
	Information on construction, demolition and excavation waste is available from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister publication: Survey of Arisings and Use of Construction, Demolition and Excavation Waste as Aggregate in England in 2003. Results for England for 2001 and 2003 are shown in the following table:
	
		Construction, demolition and excavation—England
		
			  2001 2003 
			  Tonnes (Thousand) Percentage Tonnes (Thousand) Percentage 
		
		
			 Landfilled 23,210 26 29,060 32 
			 Spread on registered exempt sites (23)22,400 (23)25 16,430 18 
			 Recycled 43,280 49 45,450 50 
			 Total CDEW (23)88,890  90,930  
		
	
	(23) Stated to be an unadjusted estimate.

WORK AND PENSIONS

EU Legislation

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what EU legislation was implemented by (a) the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulation 2000, (b) the Occupational Pension Schemes (Minimum Funding Requirement and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 and (c) the Occupational Pension Schemes (Winding Up and Deficiency on Winding Up etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2004.

James Plaskitt: None of the three pieces of legislation referred was introduced in order to achieve UK compliance with European Council Directives. They were all introduced to implement internal national policy initiated by the UK Government.

Local Housing Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much housing benefit has been paid in each local housing allowance pilot area in each month in the last two years; and how many housing benefit claimants there have been.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested because local authorities are only required to provide expenditure figures on an annual basis and 2004–05 figures will not be available until the end of this year.

Local Housing Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many different information technology systems are being used to process housing benefit in the local housing allowance pilot areas; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Four software suppliers are involved in providing the software to the nine pathfinder local authorities. The information technology systems used to process housing benefits claims is for individual local authorities to decide.

Pension Credit

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances under pension credit legislation, pensioners will receive an award of £1.20 for each extra pound of qualifying income; what criteria were used in setting the amount; and whether those potentially entitled to the £1.20 award will be informed of this.

Stephen Timms: In very exceptional circumstances the effect of applying the normal formula will be that some pensioners will receive a reward of £1.20 instead of 60 pence for each extra pound of qualifying income. This may happen if the pension credit recipient is also receiving a working tax credit, spousal maintenance, or a social security benefit which does not count as rewardable income. It will only occur if their total income brought to account is greater than their appropriate guarantee level but the income which counts for the savings credit is less than the guarantee level. If this happens the pensioner will be able to ask the Pension Service for an explanation.

Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to increase the state pension.

Stephen Timms: We will continue with our policy of increasing the basic state pension annually by 2.5 per cent. or the increase in the September Retail Prices Index whichever is higher.

DEFENCE

Acts of Parliament

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to make all Acts of Parliament published before 1988 for which his Department is responsible available online.

Don Touhig: The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) within the Cabinet Office is the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament, and responsible for the publication of Acts of Parliament. HMSO has considered the publication of Acts prior to 1988, which is the earliest date when these were available electronically, but has decided not to do so as many have been heavily amended and to publish them in their original form would be misleading for many users. The Government are, however, taking forward development of a Statute Law Database which will contain the fully revised and updated text of all legislation from 1275. It is expected that this will be made available to the general public during 2006.

Agency Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of agency staff used to augment UK military units on operations in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03, (d) 2003–04 and (e) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 June 2005
	There are many contracts placed in operational theatres which entail the employment of personnel, the details of which are recorded in theatre.
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Apache Helicopters

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects his Department's requirement for fully trained pilots of Apache helicopters will be met.

Adam Ingram: The first of three Apache Attack Regiments has been fully trained, tested and exercised and will shortly be available for operations following formal clearance as a result of successfully completing Exercise Eagles Strike on 24 May 2005. The conversion of the second regiment is under way and is due to be ready for operations by September 2007. The third regiment is programmed to convert from October 2007 and should be ready for operations by October 2009. At this stage it is envisaged that all three regiments will be manned with 42 Apache Attack Helicopter trained aircrew, which represents 87.5 per cent. of the final manning requirement. There will then follow a period where all three regiments will be brought up to full manning, which should be complete by September 2010. Thereafter, training will then focus on sustaining full manning throughout the rest of the aircraft operating life.

Apache Helicopters

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State forDefence whether he plans (a) to marinise the fleet ofApache helicopters against salt corrosion and (b) toallow the aircraft to operate from Royal Navy vessels.

Adam Ingram: A range of maritime modifications will be applied to the Apache AH Mk 1 fleet to enable it to operate from Royal Navy ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels, including an enhanced corrosion protection scheme.

Armed Forces (Recruitment Rates)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new entrants there have been to each of the armed forces in each quarter since 2002.

Don Touhig: The following table shows intake 1 from civilian life to UK Regular 2 Forces in each quarter since 2002.
	1 Figures show all intake to UK Regular Forces including re-enlistments and rejoined reservists. 2 UK Regular Forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel.
	
		
			 Quarter ending Naval Service(24) Army Royal Air Force 
		
		
			 2002
			 31 March 1,390 4,520 880 
			 30 June 1,210 2,930 870 
			 30 September 1,270 5,760 1,180 
			 31 December 1,130 2,560 1,100 
			 
			 2003
			 31 March 1,620 5,350 1,290 
			 30 June 1,170 3,010 1,110 
			 30 September 920 5,420 1,080 
			 31 December 980 2,490 960 
			 
			 2004
			 31 March 1,050 4,270 1,010 
			 30 June 820 2,380 650 
			 30 September 920 3,610 590 
			 31 December 990 2,000 520 
			 
			 2005
			 31 March 970 3,690 410 
		
	
	(24) Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
	Note:
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Astute Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the in-service date is for the first of the Astute submarines.

Adam Ingram: HMS Astute, the first of the Astute Class, is due to enter service in 2009.

Departmental IT Projects

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's IT projects in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) amount spent and (b) purpose; and whether each project has over-run.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Union Representation

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trade union learning representatives there are in his Department.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence does not hold details of the numbers of trade union learning representatives. These are appointed by their trade union from within the elected representative community and usually have other TU duties in addition to this particular role.

Fairford Air Base

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the Royal Air Force to use Fairford air base jointly with the US Air Force after the runway is refurbished at RAF Brize Norton.

Adam Ingram: We are currently in discussion with the US Air Force about the possibility of RAF units periodically using RAF Fairford for operational training exercises. No decisions have been made.

Far East Detainees (Compensation)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of requests for compensation from Far East detainees previously disqualified.

Don Touhig: The Ex Gratia Payment Scheme for Far East Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees is currently the subject of a judicial review in relation to a former civilian internee whose claim for payment was rejected. It is not appropriate at this stage to comment further.

Iraq

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by (a) the UK and (b) other allied countries in support of military and security action in Iraq since 2002–03.

Adam Ingram: The net additional costs of operations in Iraq are published each year in the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts. Costs for financial year 2002–03 were £847 million and for 2003–04 £1,311 million. Costs for financial year 2004–05 will be published in the MOD's next annual report and accounts in the autumn.
	Costs incurred by other allied countries are a matter for them.

Iraq

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many additional troops the UK intends to send to (a) Najaf and (b) Qadisiyah in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom does not have any troops deployed in Najaf or Al Qadisiyah. There are currently no plans to deploy UK forces to these areas or elsewhere outside the boundaries of Multi National Division (South East).

Iraq

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects British troops to complete thepresent mission in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom is committed to remaining in Iraq for as long as the Iraqi Government judge that the coalition is required to provide security and assist the Iraqi Security Forces. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, which provides the present legal basis for the coalition presence in Iraq, makes clear the mandate for multi-national forces will expire upon the completion of the current political process, and will be terminated earlier if requested by the Government of Iraq.

MARS Programme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current estimate for the (a) in-service date and (b) cost of Royal Navy tankers under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme is; what the original estimates were; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme is currently in the Concept Phase and no decisions have yet been made on the scope, timing or costs of the programme. These matters will be addressed during the Assessment Phase, which is planned to commence shortly.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to write to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford concerning question 191401, of 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1835W, on ministerial expenses.

Don Touhig: I replied to the hon. Member today, and placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Regimental Uniforms

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2005, Official Report, column 24W, on army boots, whether the figures given for jungle boots and desert boots are (a) the manufacturer's life-span specification and (b) the life-span obtained from combat conditions; and which manufacturer supplies the (i) jungle boot and (ii) desert boot.

Adam Ingram: The figures given for the life span for both jungle and desert boots are estimated figures. In respect of individual items there may be a different life span for each boot procured, and this would be impacted upon to a large extent by their actual use.
	The Prime Contractor for footwear is Iturri SA through the prime contract mentioned in my answer of 23 May 2005, Official Report, column 24W.

Religious Texts (Iraq/Afghanistan)

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued to UK forces in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan on appropriate treatment of religious texts and other materials; and whether he has received reports of inappropriate behaviour in this respect.

Don Touhig: All United Kingdom armed forces personnel undergo cultural awareness training as part of their theatre specific pre-deployment training package. We have received no reports of inappropriate treatment of religious texts and other materials by UK forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Royal Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned out-of-service date is for the Royal Navy's repair ship, RFA Diligence; and what his plans for replacing the ship are.

Adam Ingram: It is currently planned that RFA Diligence will remain in service until 2014. Decisions have yet to be taken on how best to deliver future Operational Maintenance and Repair capability.

Royal Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out-of-service date is for (a) HMS Superb and (b) HMS Trafalgar.

Adam Ingram: Both boats are planned to be withdrawn from service in 2008.

Royal Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which helicopter will operate from the four batch Type-22 frigates from 2008.

Adam Ingram: Lynx helicopters will continue to operate from the four batch 3 Type-22 frigates until a replacement for the Lynx Mk3/8 is delivered under our future helicopter programme.

Royal Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the out-of-service date for each of the remaining Type-42 destroyers.

Adam Ingram: The latest planned withdrawal dates are as follows:
	
		
			  Type-42 destroyers 
			 Type 42 Batch 1:  
		
		
			 2005 HMS Cardiff 
			   
			 Type 42 Batch 2:  
			 2009 HMS Exeter 
			 2010 HMS Southampton 
			 2012 HMS Nottingham 
			 2009 HMS Liverpool 
			   
			 Type 42 Batch 3:  
			 2011 HMS Manchester 
			 2011 HMS Gloucester 
			 2013 HMS Edinburgh 
			 2012 HMS York

Royal Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the in-service date for each of the eight Type-45 destroyers.

Adam Ingram: Six Type-45 destroyers are currently on order. The planned in-service date (ISD) for the First of Class, HMS Daring, is May 2009. The remaining five ships are planned to enter service at intervals over a four-year period following the First of Class ISD.

Territorial Army

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength of the Territorial Army has been in each of the last 10 years.

Don Touhig: holding answer 13 June 2005
	The strength of the Territorial Army (TA) for the last 10 years is as follows:
	
		
			 Dates Strength 
		
		
			 1995 59,690 
			 1996 57,260 
			 1997 57,620 
			 1998 56,980 
			 1999 52,260 
			 2000 44,840 
			 2001 41,510 
			 2002 40,900 
			 2003 39,610 
			 2004 38,320 
			 2005 37,260 
		
	
	The April 2005 figure is provisional and subject to revision.

Tracked Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to phase out the S series of tracked vehicles.

Adam Ingram: The S series of tracked vehicles comprises the following variants of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) (CVR(T)): Scimitar, Sultan, Samson, Samaritan, Spartan, Striker, Sabre, Scorpion.
	The CVR(T) fleet will be supported until its planned out of service date of 2014 when it is scheduled to be replaced by elements of the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) suite of vehicles and the Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle (CLV). The initial variants of FRES are due to be in service early in the next decade and the Panther is due to come into service in November 2007.

UK Energy Supplies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and (b) others on the security of gas supplies to the UK which are imported from abroad.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not had any specific discussions with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry or others in regards to the security of gas supplies to the UK. Ministry of Defence officials continue to be engaged in DTI and FCO work on a range of energy security matters.

UK Energy Supplies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he made of requirements to protect UK access to pipelines and gas supplies in his decision to decommission the three Type-23 frigates;
	(2)  what the role of Type 23 destroyers is in the protection of UK energy supplies; if he will reverse the decision to decommission three of the fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Defence White Paper set out our analysis of the future security environment, of which one element was the potential for developments which could impact upon the security and stability of regions which contribute to global energy supplies.
	The analysis of the future security environment formed the baseline against which the decision to rebalance and optimise the force structure was taken, including the decision to decommission three Type-23 frigates, as set out in Delivering Security in a Changing World, Future Capabilities" (Cm 6260).
	The new force structure has been designed to meet the broad range of operational demands we might expect in the future, through a range of inherently flexible and adaptable capabilities.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Amnesty Papers

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey's constituent, Cesar Augusto Giraldo Gil and his daughter Francesca Zofia Wasik to receive notification of their amnesty papers.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 June 2005
	Mr. Gil has been asked to re-submit his application and I can assure my hon. Friend that when it is received it will receive prompt consideration.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were granted (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) exceptional leave to remain in each of the last eight years.

Tony McNulty: The latest available statistics on the number of people granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK and those granted exceptional leave to remain can be found in the table.
	The latest published data on settlement in the United Kingdom are for 2003. Further information on immigration can be found in the Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2003' (Cm6363), available from the Library and from the Home Office website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1 .html. The 2004 edition is due to be published later this year.
	
		Grants of settlement and exceptional leave to remain(25), United Kingdom(26), 1996 to 2004
		
			 Asylum cases granted ELR 
			  Total grants of settlement  Cases considered under normal procedures 
			  Total On removal of time limit (ILR) Settlement on arrival (ILE) Total Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave, discretionary leave or humanitarian protection(27) Considered under backlog clearance exercise4, 5 Exceptional leave granted when applicant had not applied for asylum 
		
		
			 1996 61,730 59,610 2,120 7,295 2,240 5,055 — 12,255 
			 1997 58,725 56,375 2,355 7,100 3,985 3,115 — 10,400 
			 1998 69,790 66,895 2,895 9,255 5,345 3,910 — 2,830 
			 1999 97,115 90,275 6,845 21,425 7,815 2,465 11,140 1,480 
			 2000 125,945 117,750 8,190 32,195 10,375 11,495 10,325 1,780 
			 2001 108,410 96,460 11,950 31,640 11,450 20,190 — 680 
			 2002 118,255 109,690 8,560 28,410 8,270 20,135 — 70 
			 2003(30) 143,845 140,985 2,860 11,075 3,865 7,210 — n/a 
			 2004(30) n/a n/a n/a 5,510 1,515 3,995 — n/a 
		
	
	(25) Information is on initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
	(26) Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
	(27) Humanitarian Protection (HP) and Discretionary Leave (DL) replaced Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR) from 1 April 2003.
	(28) Cases decided under measured aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum backlog criteria.
	(29) Includes cases where asylum or exceptional leave has been granted under the backlog criteria,
	(30) Provisional data.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to meet the French Government to discuss the setting up in France of offices where applicants for asylum in the UK could make an application to British officials; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no plans to meet with the French Government to discuss the setting up in France of offices where applicants for asylum in the UK could make an application to British officials. It is accepted internationally that asylum seekers should seek asylum in the first safe country they reach. Where juxtaposed controls are in operation, it is clearly established in all instances that the host State should remain responsible for those claiming asylum at such controls, so that an asylum application made at the UK controls in France will be handled by the French authorities and vice versa.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to (a) Mr. Mohammed Kader Babakh, dated 24 March, (b) Mrs. Eva Fletcher, dated 7 April, (c) Mr. Sami Ullah, dated 7 April and (d) Mr. Angus Charles Mincher, dated 24 March.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 25 May.
	(b) I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 24 May.
	(c) I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 24 May.
	(d) I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 24 May.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters to his predecessor from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to (a) Mrs. Guy-Blackburn, dated 9 December 2004, (b) Mr. Jamal Mohammed Bin Omar, dated 7 February, (c) Azis Nicolae Bobric, dated 27 January and (d) Mr. Malik Arshad Mahmoud, dated 5 April.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 8 June.
	(b) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 1 March.
	(c) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 14 June.
	(d) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 24 May.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to (a) Mr. Mollan Orlando Bell, dated 29 March, (b) Vinleslav Cahalo, dated 30 March, (c) Mr. Anisuzzaman Milon, dated 4 April and (d) Mr. M. Osman Mohammoud, dated 14 February;
	(2)  when he will answer the letter to him dated 29 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Mollan Orlando Bell.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 14 June.
	(b) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 25 May.
	(c) I replied to my right hon. Friend on 24 May.
	(d) My hon. Friend the Minister for Race Equality, Community Policy and Civil Renewal wrote to my right hon. Friend on 24 February.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will answer the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member forManchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Nisar Ahmed;
	(2)  when he will answer the letter dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Nisar Ahmo.

Charles Clarke: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 9 June 2005.

Crime (Rural Areas)

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet police officers from Norfolk to discuss matters of local concern.

Charles Clarke: I regularly meet with police officers from Norfolk.

Crime Records

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage change in recorded crime statistics resulting from the changes made by the National Crime Recording Standards in 2002–03, broken down by type of crime.

Charles Clarke: Percentage change figures for those offences where it was possible to make an estimate of the impact of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) are published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 07/03 of 'Crime in England and Wales 2002–03'. Table 3.04 gives the available information and the publication is available on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb703.pdf '
	A detailed analysis of the impact of the NCRS was published in a companion volume to 'Crime in England and Wales 2002–03'. This gives details of the impact for certain offence groups and is available on the Home Office Research and Statistics website as online report 31/03.

Eurostar

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many undocumented passengers arrived at Waterloo on the Eurostar in each of the last six months for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Locally collated management information, which may be subject to change indicates that in the last six months there were 11 cases of undocumented passengers arriving at Waterloo, which were referred to the Immigration Service by other agencies.
	Four arrived in December 2004
	Four arrived in April 2005
	Three arrived in May 2005

G8 Summit

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  under what circumstances United States armed forces may be deployed against protesters at (a) the G8 Summit and (b) Prestwick airport; and under whose authority such deployment may be made;
	(2)  what equipment US forces will be issued with in the United Kingdom while deployed to guard (a) the G8 Summit and (b) Prestwick airport;
	(3)  what the rules of engagement of United States military personnel will be while deployed on UK soil to guard (a) the G8 Summit and (b) Prestwick airport;
	(4)  what equipment UK security forces will have available for deployment at the G8 Summit;
	(5)  whether the United States military forces that are to be deployed in the United Kingdom for the G8 Summit will be (a) under UK law jurisdiction and (b) exempted under (i) the Visiting Forces Act 1952 and (ii) the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1999; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many military forces will be deployed by the United States to Scotland for the G8 Summit.

Charles Clarke: Policing and security arrangements for the forthcoming G8 Summit are a devolved responsibility for the Scottish Executive and Scottish police forces. Scottish Executive and Tayside Police have confirmed that US military personnel will play no role in the security operation.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the likely impact of identity cards on (a) immigration control, (b) illegal working, (c) misuse of public services, (d) activities of organised criminals and (e) terrorism.

Tony McNulty: The Identity Cards Bill Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), published on 25 May 2005, outlines the assessed benefits of the identity cards scheme in section two. Benefits specifically relating to the categories mentioned in the question above are summarised below: The scheme will provide a straightforward means to record and verify the immigration status of all residents aged 16 and over. The verification service will be available not just to the authorities for maintaining immigration controls but also to employers to check status and entitlement to work. The scheme will reduce the opportunity for those facilitating terrorist and organised criminal activity to operate using multiple identities, encourage verifiable proof of identity when conducting major financial transactions, provide the capability—with independent oversight—for law enforcement and security agencies to be provided with information on when a person's record on the National Identity Register has been checked or amended, allow for the more efficient use of police resources and to check fingerprint biometric information at scenes of crime where no match can be found against existing police records. Public services will benefit from the ID cards scheme through improving the administration of social security benefits, eligibility checks for free non-emergency NHS treatment, adult allocation of the national insurance number; speeding up and improving the accuracy of Criminal Records Bureau checks and in more general ways through speeding up administrative processes.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he expects the cost to be for replacement of lost identity cards.

Tony McNulty: No decisions have yet been made about the cost to the individual of replacing a lost ID card. The current best estimate of the average annual operating costs of issuing biometric passports and ID cards of £584 million which was published in the regulatory impact assessment on 25 May 2005 includes an allowance for the replacement of lost, stolen and damaged cards.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the pilot studies carried out for the identity cards scheme.

Tony McNulty: The United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) biometric enrolment trial, carried out in collaboration with Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and the Identity Cards Programme team, is the only pilot study carried out for the identity cards scheme to date. The UKPS trial was not a trial of ID cards nor the technology involved, rather a test of the practicalities of enrolling people's biometrics and people's perceptions of that process. A great deal was learnt from the trial. We now know much more about the practicalities of biometric enrolment and issues that arise with enrolment on such a large scale. We also learned that people's perception of the process was very positive overall, with a post-trial reduction in those who had reported concerns about having their biometrics taken pre-trial and a majority reporting a better than expected level of intrusion at the process. The vast majority of participants found their expectations of the overall experience to have been met or bettered. The full results of the trial are available on the UKPS website http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/news/news.asp?intElement=986.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the technology that will be used for identity cards; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Given the constant advancement of biometric technology and the need to conduct a fair and thorough procurement process, final decisions have not been taken about the technology that will be used for the Identity Cards scheme.
	Rather than evaluate equipment at this time, much of which may be superseded by the time cards are first issued, we are working with other Government Departments and with expert advice to set the requirements for performance. We have engaged independent and Government advisers to work on the Identity Cards programme team and to provide advice with regard to technologies to be considered for use by the Identity Cards scheme. We are also applying the lessons learnt from the experience of other large scale technology implementation projects within the Home Office and across Government.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the likely impact of identity cards on civil liberties; and what response he has made.

Tony McNulty: Since the publication of the Identity Cards Bill on 25 May 2005, 21 representations have been received from members of the public. No representations have been received from any organisations or official bodies. The representations took the form of both letters and e-mails, and they expressed concern that the Identity Card Scheme would infringe civil liberties.
	The Government believe that the Identity Cards Scheme will support civil liberties and human rights. The scheme will be bound by legislation such as the Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act and the Disability Discrimination Act. The Identity Cards Bill also contains a number of important safeguards such as setting limitations on the information that may be held by the scheme and its use. Only Parliament would be able to change the statutory purposes of the Register or the type of information which could be held and only via primary legislation.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he expects further primary legislation to be required to extend the use of the information stored on the National Identity Register in the second stage of the identity cards process.

Tony McNulty: The scope of the legislation currently before Parliament is sufficient to ensure that the benefits of the scheme are realised without the need for further primary legislation.

Identity Cards

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will have access to data stored in connection with identity cards.

Tony McNulty: Other than staff involved in the administration of the scheme, no individual or organisation will have direct access to the National Identity Register itself.
	Instead, accredited organisations will be allowed to verify information or, in certain circumstances, be able to obtain some limited information from the register through the scheme's verification services and—in the main—only with the consent of the card-holder. Information from the register can only be provided without the consent of the card-holder if specifically authorised by the powers in the Identity Cards Bill. Organisations entitled to request such information are listed on the face of the Bill and any changes to the list must be approved by Parliament.

Identity Cards

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the proposed identity card will be for (a) pensioners, (b) the unemployed, (c) low earners, (d) lone parents and (e) students.

Tony McNulty: The Identity Cards Bill provides powers to set concessionary fees. This is set out in clause 37 of the Bill. No decisions have yet been made in respect of the fee schedule or concessionary fees for Identity Cards, however Parliament will have the final say on the fees that will be charged.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum criminal penalty is which will apply to individuals who fail to comply with Clause 6(6) of the Identity Cards Bill.

Tony McNulty: Clause 6(6) of the Identity Cards Bill imposes no criminal penalty for failing to register with the scheme should such an obligation be agreed by Parliament.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the requirements for the National Identity Register to be finalised.

Tony McNulty: Work is continuing to specify requirements for the National Identity Register. The procurement phase of the scheme cannot begin until the Identity Cards Bill currently before Parliament is passed. In line with procurement best practice, each requirement will be finalised before the procurement starts, but the details will be worked through with potential suppliers to ensure that the Government can take full advantage of innovation in the market place.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to audit the accuracy and efficiency of (a) biometric readings and (b) the National Identity Register.

Tony McNulty: During procurement we will undertake carefully designed scientific tests of the performance of the biometric system. The overall verification and identification performance of the ID card system will be tested both during rollout of the technology and when the scheme is running, this will include the quality of data held on the National Identity Register. Primarily, individual cardholders will be encouraged to keep their record up-to-date in order to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the register. It is likely that the convenience of having a reliable method of verifying identity in everyday situations will encourage individuals to keep their details up to date, so they can access services in a secure and speedy manner. The proposed identity cards agency will seek to validate and verify new information provided as far as is practically possible. However, in addition, there is a power for the Secretary of State to require individuals to keep prescribed details up to date.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has conducted on systems to link identity card readers to the National Identity Register.

Tony McNulty: The Identity Cards Programme has examined the viability, resilience, security, technical interoperability and practicality of various reader and network options. This includes remote authentication where the card-holder and the service provider are not present at the same location, Chip and PIN and checks for the purposes of border control. For example, the ID Cards Programme is working closely with the Association for Payment Clearing Services to examine the technical architecture underpinning Chip and PIN and to benefit from lessons learned during the rollout. The dialogue will help to develop considerations of where shared technical opportunities with the Chip and PIN infrastructure might exist in the future.

Illegal Immigrants

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what types of machinery and equipment are used by immigration officials to detect illegal immigrants at the (a) Hull, (b) Dover, (c) Portsmouth and (d) Southampton ports of entry; and how many hours per day on average each was used in the last period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The following detection systems are used by the Immigration Service port operators and carriers:
	Dover
	The Immigration Service operates a juxtaposed control for services arriving at Dover in Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque.
	Calais
	CO2 Probes, manual passenger vehicle checks, use of body detection dogs (operated by the Immigration Service), Heartbeat detectors, Passive Millimetric Wave Imagers (PMMWI) (operated by the Calais Chamber of Commerce)
	Dunkerque
	CO2 probes and body detection dogs (operated by the Immigration Service) CO2 probes (operated by the carrier)
	Boulogne
	No freight vehicles use these services. Passenger vehicles are checked manually on a risk assessed basis by Immigration Service staff.
	Hull, Southampton, Portsmouth
	CO2 probes (Operated by the Immigration Service)
	In addition to these checks the Mobile Freight Search Team operates at all UK seaports and at juxtaposed locations and is deployed on a risk assessed, intelligence led basis. The team uses a gamma ray scanner, CO2 probes and body detection dogs.
	It is not possible to provide details of how many hours per day these systems are operated as these figures are not collated.

Illegal Immigrants

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were detected at the (a) Hull, (b) Dover, (c) Portsmouth and (d) Southampton ports of entry in the last six months for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: All figures in this response are locally collated management information.
	The numbers of illegal immigrants detected in the ports specified are as follows:
	
		
			  2004 2005 
			  December January February March April May 
		
		
			 Hull 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dover 45 86 37 33 27 50 
			 Portsmouth 12 7 4 10 16 18 
			 Southampton 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	From 1 December 2004 to 22 May 2005 3,268 persons were prevented from boarding by port authorities checks and 2,590 were detected by the Immigration Service at juxtaposed locations serving Dover from 1 December to 31 May 2005. 2,560 were reported by carriers as the number of persons off-loaded at ports with services to Portsmouth in the same period.

Motoring Offences

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been fined under the offence of using a hand held mobile phone while driving; how many people have contested the fines; and what revenue has been raised through fines, broken down by (a) month and (b) police authority region.

Hazel Blears: Available information on the number of fixed penalty notices and court fines ordered to be paid for the new offence (introduced as from 1 December 2003) of driving while using a hand held mobile telephone is given in the table. Statistics are not collected centrally on appeals against court fines by type of offence. Information on revenue raised through fines is also not available centrally but data are given in the table on the amount of fines imposed by the courts and on the estimated revenue from fixed penalties. Fixed penalty notice data are submitted to the Home Office on a calendar year basis from police forces and as such it is not possible for a month by month break down.
	2004 data will be available in early 2006.
	Use of a hands free mobile phone is not part of the new offence.
	
		Fixed penalty notices and court proceedings data for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving(31) by police force area, England and Wales 2003
		
			 Number of offences 
			  Type of action 
			  Court proceedings(32) Fixed penalties 
			  Total findings of guilt Amount of fines (£) Number of tickets(33) Estimated revenue (£)(34) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset — — — — 
			 Bedfordshire (35)1 30 10 300 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — 
			 Cheshire — — — — 
			 Cleveland — — 13 390 
			 Cumbria — — 13 390 
			 Derbyshire — — 13 390 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — 345 10,350 
			 Dorset — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — 
			 Essex — — — — 
			 Gloucestershire — — 147 4,410 
			 Greater Manchester — — — — 
			 Hampshire — — 54 1,620 
			 Hertfordshire — — — — 
			 Humberside — — — — 
			 Kent — — 15 450 
			 Lancashire — — 34 1,020 
			 Leicestershire — — 17 510 
			 Lincolnshire — — 7 210 
			 London, City of — — 45 1,350 
			 Merseyside — — — — 
			 Metropolitan Police — — 681 20,430 
			 Norfolk — — 17 510 
			 Northamptonshire — — 1 30 
			 Northumbria — — 56 1,680 
			 North Yorkshire — — 5 150 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — — 
			 South Yorkshire — — 28 840 
			 Staffordshire — — 12 360 
			 Suffolk — — 42 1,260 
			 Surrey — — 164 4,920 
			 Sussex — — — — 
			 Thames Valley — — 25 750 
			 Warwickshire — — — — 
			 West Mercia — — — — 
			 West Midlands — — 144 4,320 
			 West Yorkshire — — — — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — 
			 Dyfed Powys — — — — 
			 Gwent — — — — 
			 North Wales — — — — 
			 South Wales — — — — 
			  
			 England and Wales 1 30 1,888 56,640 
		
	
	(31) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3). Introduced 1 December 2003.
	(32) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	(33) Only covers tickets paid where there is no further action.
	(34) Estimate based on fixed penalty charge of £30.
	(35) In the month of December 2003.

Policing

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent per capita from central Government funds on policing in (a) the East Riding of Yorkshire, (b) Humberside and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Charles Clarke: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 514W.
	Information on spend for policing in the East Riding of Yorkshire is not held centrally. The distribution of resources within a force area is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority.

Probation Reports

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports were prepared by probation officers for people convicted of any offence in each year since 2000 in (a) Essex and (b) England; and how many of those reports were challenged and subsequently found to be unreasonable.

Fiona Mactaggart: The number of pre-sentence reports and specific sentence reports (now replaced by the Fast Delivery PSR) written by probation officers in the Essex probation area and in all probation areas in England in each year since 2000 is given in the following table. Information on the number of reports which were challenged and subsequently found to be unreasonable is not collected centrally.
	
		Number of pre-sentence reports and specific sentence reports
		
			  Essex England 
		
		
			 2000 4,894 236,984 
			 2001 3,300 231,510 
			 2002 3,967 236,750 
			 2003 4,205 228,519

Public Service Agreement Targets

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made on each of its public service agreement targets as set down in spending reviews since 1997.

Charles Clarke: Public service agreement (PSA) targets have been set every two years as part of the Spending Review. Since 1997 there have been four reviews: the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review, and the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Spending Reviews.
	Performance against all PSA targets has been reported in our Annual Report since 1999–2000. Since 2002, performance has also been reported in our autumn performance report. The Treasury also introduced a performance reporting website in 2003 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance. The Home Office Annual Report for 2004–05 with the latest performance information will be published in June.

Violent Crime (Pembrokeshire)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes have been recorded in Pembrokeshire in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the Pembrokeshire Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and is given in the tables. Data at CDRP level are only available from 1999–2000.
	
		Table 1: Violent crimes recorded by the police in the Pembrokeshire Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 1999–2000 to 2001–02
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1,273 
			 2000–01 1,341 
			 2001–02 1,239 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Violent crimes recorded by the police in the Pembrokeshire Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 2002–03 1,402 
			 2003–04 2,120 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Community Justice Facilities

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Community Justice Centre in Liverpool.

Harriet Harman: My Department, Home Office and CPS have been working together to develop the first pilot Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool, to help tackle antisocial behaviour and quality of life crime problems facing the area.
	The Community Justice Centre will provide a community centre, a court and an experienced team of professionals, including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Probation Service, defence representatives, youth services and a range of advice providers. It will also offer access to a range of services to address the underlying problems causing crime, for example debt counselling and housing advice. These services will be available to victims, witnesses and their families, local residents and offenders.
	His Honour Judge Fletcher began hearing cases for the area from 9 December 2004 in a courtroom in Liverpool's Dale Street magistrates court. Over 700 hearings have taken place to date.

Contact Orders

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  how many contact orders were (a) granted and (b) refused under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 in each year since the Act came into force;
	(2)  in how many cases in which contact orders were (a) granted and (b) refused domestic violence was cited in each year since their inception.

Harriet Harman: The Children Act 1989 was implemented on 14 October 1991. The number of contact orders granted and refused since 1992 is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Granted Refused 
		
		
			 2004 70,169 504 
			 2003 67,184 601 
			 2003 61,356 518 
			 2001 55,030 713 
			 2000 46,070 1,276 
			 1999 41,862 1,752 
			 1998 49,313 1,911 
			 1997 42,065 1,847 
			 1996 39,982 1,877 
			 1995 35,753 1,894 
			 1994 31,506 2,113 
			 1993 27,780 1,956 
			 1992 17,470 1,092 
		
	
	The data requested on the number of cases that cited domestic violence are not held centrally. One recent research report (Wade and Smart, DCA Research Series 06/2003), however, did suggest that around 25 per cent. of child contact cases involved allegations of domestic violence. From 31 January new forms for applications for child contact and residence were introduced. These 'Gateway forms' identify allegations of harm at the beginning of the court process. We are committed to evaluating the impact of these forms and further research is planned for one year on from implementation with a report expected in the autumn of 2006.

Drugs Courts

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to set up designated drugs courts in the Greater London area; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government are committed to establishing a pilot of a dedicated drug court by the end of 2005. It is anticipated that this pilot will involve trained sentencers, inter-agency co-operation and regular court reviews by a consistent court to track an offender's progress from sentence through to completion or breach of an order. The pilot builds upon international evidence and existing best practice that close sentencer review of drug treatment can play a role in successful rehabilitation.
	The Government are currently determining the exact scope and best sites for the pilot, but it is likely that one location for the pilot will take place in London. A further announcement will be made in due course.

Electoral Administration/Register

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to amend electoral law in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) Wales in the forthcoming Electoral Administration Bill.

Harriet Harman: The conduct of parliamentary and local elections in Wales is not devolved and therefore the measures included in the Electoral Administration Bill will apply to Wales. The conduct of parliamentary elections and the franchise in Scotland is reserved and therefore the measures in the Bill will apply to Scotland in respect of these matters. Discussions with Scotland in respect of the impact on local government elections, and with Northern Ireland, where the conduct of all elections is excepted, are currently on-going and at present we cannot comment on the what the outcome of these will be.

Electoral Administration/Register

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what procedures are in place for the Department to audit the accuracy of electoral rolls.

Harriet Harman: The Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983 requires electoral registration officers (EROs) appointed by local authorities for the purpose to compile the electoral register as accurately as possible. The Act gives this responsibility to EROs who act independently for these purposes.

Electoral Administration/Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the (a) number and (b) nature of election counts held in each year since 1999.

Harriet Harman: The information since 1997 is in the following table.
	
		
			 Date Location Petitioner/s Respondent/s Grounds Result 
		
		
			 Parliamentary  
			 14 May 1997 Dagenham Richard Henry Dawson Jack Thomas R/O negligent in that he accepted nominations from non-electors etc. Lapsed 
			 15 May 1997 Winchester Gerald Malone Mark Oaten, Lindsey Garrett Fox Quality of Ballot papers rejected for want of official mark and rejected ballot papers disputed Special Case 6 October1997 Petition Allowed 
			 22 May 1997 North East Bedfordshire Ashley Leggett Sir Nicholas Walter Lyell QC George Coates Sir Nicholas Walter Lyell formerly Peter Rubery Hayward prevented from standing as a candidate by interim injunction obtained by Sir Nicholas Walter Lyell QC Lapsed 
			 10 August 2001 Romford Peter Brian Thorogood Andrew Rosindell Offences contrary to s. 113 (i) and (2)(b)of RPA1983 (no details given) Lapsed 
			 European  
			 14 June 2004 Eastern England John James Naisbitt David Monks Various Struck Out 30 July 2004 
			   
			 Local government  
			 15 September 1997 Pakenham Ward of St. Edmundsbury Lisa Francis Couper Lynn Aisbett Valerie Ann White Votes cast for petition wrongly recorded by R/O Special Case 17 October 1997 Petition Allowed. 2nd Respondent not duly elected. Petitioner should have been declared duly elected 
			 6 May1999 Daneside Ward of Seaham Town Council Steven Paul Colbon Geraldine Bleasdale John Henry Bleasdale James Dickinson Edwards Toni Robson Marion Florence Wood James Sheenin Nomination rejected as invalid Special Case 30 July 1999 Petition Dismissed. Issued out of time 
			 26 May 1999 Selby Central Ward, Selby District Council Wendy Ruth Nicholls Melanie Ann Davis Richard Kenneth Fogden Martin Connor Votes incorrectly counted Special Case 30 July 1999 Petition Allowed. Election valid. 2nd Respondent not elected. Petitioner elected 
			 26 May 1999 Creneswater Ward of Southsea Parish Council Simon James Cattermole Nicola Vanessa Bentley Rubayat Rahman Choud David Heaven Roger James Nick Gurney Votes incorrectly counted Special Case 30 July 1999 Petition Allowed. Election valid. 4th Respondent not elected. Petitioner elected 
			 27 May 1999 Longfield Ward of Dartford Borough Council Alistair Samuel Jordan Robert John Dunn Albert Raymond Bassum Jeremy Alan Kite Christopher Shepherd Candidate disqualified for standing—did not occupy property within area for whole of previous 12 months Lapsed 
			 27 May 1999 Aston Ward, Birmingham District Council Gabra Miah Ahmed Iftikhar 1. Illegal practice, respondent published false statements about petition 2. corrupt practice, 3rd party included unauthorised election expenses 3. invalid nomination of fellow candidate 11 November 1999 Commissioner Application to dismiss by Respondent. Allowed. Petition dismissed. Trial date vacated 
			 27 May 1999 Parish of Baileston Ruth Marjorie Dickson Robert Charles Bailey and ors Votes incorrectly counted Special Case 15 December 1999 Petition Allowed. Election valid. 15th Respondent not elected. 10th Respondent elected 
			 27 May 1999 Rossington West Ward of Rossington Parish Council Barry Johnson Nicholas Dobson Doreen Appleby and ors Votes incorrectly counted Special Case 30 July 1999 Petition Allowed. Election Valid. 2nd Respondent not elected. Petitioner elected 
			 25 May 1999 Haughton East and Leslie Upton David Lynotte and 8 ors Undue influence impeding free exercise of franchise by use of Cabinet Minister and ors officials to influence voters Lapsed 
			 20 April 2000 South East Ward of Knighton Town Council in Powys Janice Geraldine Harris Angus John Gilmore Jackie Tonge Votes incorrectly counted(some not counted) Special Case 11 December 2000 Petition Allowed. Election Valid. 1st Respondent not elected. Petitioner elected 
			 20 May 2000 Parish of Bracknell Ward of Bracknell Town Council Walter Alfred Thompson Susan Margaret Thompson Gordon Mitchell Votes incorrectly counted Special Case 25 July 2000 Petition Allowed. Election Valid. 1st Respondent not elected. Petitioner elected 
			 25 May 2000 Sparkhill Ward of Birmingham City Council Emily Cox Amen Ellachi Akhlag Ahmed Tony King Jagdip Rai and Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council Personation, error, treating, bribery, undue Influence overspending election expenses 25 July 2000 Application to strike out on grounds of late service of Petition. Dismissed 
			 25 May 2000 Nicholls Ward, Birmingham City Council Abdul Malik Mohammed Mansoor and Returning Officer Voters abroad shown as having voted Lapsed 
			 27 June 2001 South Ribble North West Electoral Division of Lancashire County Council Peter Terence Wakeling Anthony Edward Pimblett Max Winterbottom Ballot papers for another Electoral Division handed out to some voters in error Special Case 5 October 2001 Petition Allowed. Election void. 1st Respondent not duly elected 
			 27 June 2001 Ellogen North Electoral Division, Redruth, Cornwall Terence Alan Rowe Paul Thomas Holmes Geoffrey Gordon Cox Adam John Beer Noel Hutchinson 2 votes included wrongly Special Case 18 December 2001 Petition Allowed. Election Void. 1st Respondent not duly elected 
			 22 May 2002 Sands End Ward of London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Colin George Pavelin Richard Harbord Stephen James Hamilton Ballot papers rejected for want of official mark affected result Special Case 31 July 2002 Petition Allowed. Election Void. 2nd Respondent not duly elected 
			 23 May 2002 Aston Ward, City of Birmingham Nain Ahmed Anthony Paul Kennedy Stewart Dobson Successful candidate made false statements about petitions for purpose of affecting the result and/or alleged irregularities regarding opening of postal votes 4 October 2002 Petition Struck out against 2nd Respondent 11 October 2002 Petition Struck out against 1st Respondent 
			 23 May 2002 Little Horton Ward of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council Jamshed Khan Taj Mubarik Salam Ian J. Stewart Error in Counting votes 29 November 2002 Petition Dismissed 
			 23 May 2002 Cheetham Ward, City of Manchester Habib Ullah Mohammed Sabir Basten Ahmed Misbah Begum Martin Donald Pagel Andrew Scallen Requests for proxy votes ignored, Personation, delay in taking ballot box to council, comments by 1st Respondent during campaign 11 October 2002 Petition Struck Out 
			 23 May 2002 Peckham Ward, London Borough of Southwark Mike Jinnah Rahman Annette Pallas Natalie Ajeon Barrie John Hargrove William Kayada Tayo Adelane Situ Marked Register missing, Ballot box late arriving at court, count started before candidates arrived, voters removed from register, confusion over postal votes 29 November 2002 Petition dismissed with consent of 1st Petitioner on behalf of co petitioners 
			 21 May 2003 Belle Vale and Hasbury Ward, Metropolitan Borough of Dudley Martin Christopher Knight Jill Cheryl Nicholls Andrew Sparke Failure by R/O to ensure issued ballot papers were delivered in accordance with Part V of Rep. of People Regulations 2001 19 December 2003 Petition dismissed 
			 21 May 2003 St. Helens Borough Council in the Parish of Sereley Green Sandra Cleary Joan Davies Peter Blackburn Votes miscounted Special Case 17 October 2003 Election Void, Joan Davies not duly elected 
			 21 May 2003 College Ward of Wansbeck District Council James Sawyer Michael Raymond Kirkup Robert Stephenson Votes miscounted block of votes wrongly allocated to candidates Special Case 17 October 2003 Election Void, 1st Respondent not duly elected, Petitioner duly elected 
			 21 May 2003 Broughton and Appleby Ward, North Lincolnshire District Council Kenneth Anthony Edgell Ivan Glover Michael Garnett Ballot papers in respect of postal voter wrongly counted—did not bear signature and authentication of voter 4 November 2003 Petition Granted, Election Void, Ivan Glover not duly elected 
			 23 May 2003 Hartley Parish Council Trevor Royston Modell Christopher Alford False Statements against Petitioner issued by Respondent calculated to affect Petitioners prospects of being re-elected Lapsed 
			 28 May 2003 Lightwater Ward, Borough of Surrey-Heath Lindsey Fellows Malcolm Bell Dorothy Drummond Peter Edward Harper Alan Clevely Mr. Ghandum Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RP Act 31 July 2003 Permission to Withdraw Granted 
			 28 May 2003 Windlesham Parish Council—Lightwater Ward Lindsey Fellows Surinder Ghandum Alan Clevely Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RP Act 31 July 2003 Permission to Withdraw Granted 
			 23 June 2004 Aston Ward, Birmingham City Council Ayaz Iqbal Nagmen Mir Qadeer Ahmed Naser Iqbal Mohammed Islam Muhammed Afzal Mohammed Kazi Lin Homer Various concerning postal voting 4 April 2005 Petition Allowed, Election Void 
			 29 June 2003 Park Ward, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough CM Saghir Shakir Saghir Faisal Saghir M. Najib and 3 ors All postal ballot pilot failed. Breach of Duty. Improper and unfair conduct 22 March 2005 Petition Struck Out 
			 29 June 2003 Bordesley Green, Birmingham City Council Jamil Akhtar and 3 ors Shah Jahan and 6 ors Disputing postal ballot papers—tampering and Personation 4 April 2005 Petition Allowed, Election Void 
			 30 June 2004 Derringham Ward, Kingston upon Hull John Philip Considine John Didrichsen Various—postal ballot papers 24 November 2004 Election void 
			 6 July 2004 Flintshire Peter Pemberton Stella Jones Tyrone Wilcox was disqualified from standing for election 20 December 2004 Petition Dismissed

Faith Awareness Training

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many civil servants in the Department received faith awareness training in 2004.

Harriet Harman: My Department requires all new staff to attend Diversity Awareness Training. In December 2003 the Diversity Awareness Training course was updated to take account of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations.
	1,872 new entrants to the Department attended the Diversity Awareness Training course during 2004.
	In addition staff in the Department were informed of the Religion or Belief Regulations through a number of communication channels. These included articles in staff magazines, team briefing sessions and guidance notes that were placed on the Department's intranet.

Fixed-term Judicial Appointments

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will commission research into the experience in Commonwealth countries of fixed-term judicial appointments and its applicability to the UK.

Harriet Harman: There are currently no plans to carry out such research.

Freedom of Information Act

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been referred to the Central Clearing House; and what proportion of these referrals have been accompanied by a recommendation that an exemption should be applied to the request.

Harriet Harman: Since the Freedom of Information Act came into force on 1 January, 2,080 cases have been referred to the Clearing House, including Internal Reviews and appeals to the Information Commissioner's Office. The first quarterly monitoring report is due to be published on 23 June providing a wide range of information on FOI requests received by central Government Departments.
	Specific information relating to the proportion of cases in which the Clearing House has advised that an exemption is applicable cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Local Elections

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to hold (a) all-postal and (b) e-voting pilot schemes in local elections.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 483W.

Local Elections

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the 2006 local elections will be conducted by all-postal ballots.

Harriet Harman: Under the Representation of the People Act 2000 the Secretary of State is obliged by law to consider any application from a local authority to pilot innovative voting methods and we will consider them on a case by case basis. We have no intention to amend the RPA 2000 in this respect.

Magistrates (Warrington)

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made in appointing more magistrates from the most deprived wards in Warrington borough.

Harriet Harman: The Cheshire Advisory Committee is responsible for recruiting magistrates in Warrington and will be submitting its recommendations for appointment in July. In the past 12–18 months the Advisory Committee have made particular efforts to raise awareness of the magistracy and target recruitment effort in Warrington, particularly those areas.
	The Cheshire Advisory Committee are aiming to make eight appointments this year (five of which are from the north of Warrington covering the most deprived areas). four magistrates were appointed to the Warrington Bench in 2002, five in 2003 and six in 2004.

Members of Parliament (Judicial Positions)

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether hon. Members will continue to be eligible to sit as recorders of the Crown court.

Harriet Harman: There are no plans to disbar hon. Members from sitting in the Crown court as recorders. While full-time judicial office holders and some fee-paid judges are disqualified from sitting in both Houses, the Lord Chancellor does not feel that it is incompatible for recorders, deputy district judges, including magistrates' courts, and magistrates to discharge their judicial duties in parallel with their parliamentary and political responsibilities, provided they do nothing in their judicial capacity to suggest political partiality.

Postal Voting

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate the Government have made of the cost to local authorities of the implementation of (a) postal voting on demand and (b) the provisions outlined by the Department for inclusion in the Electoral Administration Bill.

Harriet Harman: Local authorities fund the administration of postal voting from their own budgets and the cost to them will vary according to demand in the local authority area concerned. Information about such costs is not currently collected centrally, but we intend to give the Electoral Commission the power to do so. All the proposals in the Bill are being costed as part of policy development.

Private Finance Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the private finance initiative and public-private partnership projects her Department is undertaking; and what the status of each is.

Harriet Harman: I list the private finance initiative and private-partnership projects currently undertaken by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the status of each.
	PFI Project
	Status
	Aramis
	Operational-system is up and running.
	National Probate Records
	Operational—business is running. Ready for use since June 2001.
	LOCCs
	Operational-IT systems are up and running.
	LIBRA
	Operational—business is successfully running.
	East Anglia Courts
	Operational—courts sitting since July 2004.
	Exeter Crown and County Court
	Operational—court sittings commenced since November 2004.
	Sheffield Family Hearing Centre
	Operational—court Sittings commenced July 2004.
	Hereford and Worcester Magistrates Courts
	Operational—courts sitting since October 2001.
	Humberside Magistrates Courts
	Operational—courts sitting since November 2001.
	Manchester Magistrates Courts
	Operational—open to public in May 2004.
	Derbyshire Magistrates Courts
	Construction completed—Derby and Chesterfield magistrates courts are sitting. New Mills is awaiting the outcome of a court case.
	Avon and Somerset Magistrates Courts
	Under construction—contracts let in August 2004.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in her Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Harriet Harman: My Department provided training for all senior managers (Grades 7 and above in HQ and senior operational managers in a range of grades in its agencies) on the duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. This was through a series of seminars and supporting guidance notes. Approximately 750 senior managers (6 per cent. of staff) attended the training and this was then cascaded by the senior managers to their staff.
	At the same time the Department reviewed its Diversity Awareness Training course to include details of the duties under the Act. The Diversity Awareness Training course is a mandatory course for all new entrants to the Department.
	The Department also reviewed its Employment Law for New Managers course to include details of the duties under the Act. The Employment Law for New Managers course is mandatory for all new managers in the Department.
	Since 2002 the Department has been collecting data on training by responsibility level and ethnic origin. Due to the constraints of the current HR IT system we are only able to publish data by training type (developmental/business skills) and we do not have breakdowns for individual courses. The data collected is published in the Department's Equality and Diversity Report 2002–04.
	The Department's HR IT system will be upgraded as part of an HR transformation programme.

Remote Electronic Voting

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what costs the Government have incurred in connection with remote electronic voting in each year since its introduction; and if she will make a statement on forecast expenditure on promoting e-voting.

Harriet Harman: The Government launched their electoral modernisation programme in 2002. This commenced a three-year programme of electoral pilots to test new methods of voting and other electoral innovations at local elections. The costs that the Government have incurred in connection with remote electronic voting pilots was £2,261,204 in 2002 and £16,976,000 in 2003.
	Future expenditure will depend on the electoral modernisation strategy, which is still in development.

Remote Electronic Voting

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what Implementing Electronic Government targets the Government have set local authorities to promote the implementation and take-up of remote electronic voting.

Harriet Harman: The Government have not set any Implementing Electronic Government targets for local authorities to promote the implementation or take-up of remote electronic voting.

Televised Court Hearings

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Department plans to televise court hearings.

Harriet Harman: We are considering whether any televising should be permitted. My Department recently carried out a public consultation on broadcasting court proceedings. The consultation paper and the entries in our on-line discussion forum are available on the Department's website. Any change to the current prohibition would require primary legislation.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Acquis Communautaire

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's estimate is of the size of the acquis communautaire; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 14 June 2005
	The acquis communautaire consists of the principles, practices, policies, obligations, objectives and legal and other acts that have been agreed or have been developed over the years by the European Union and the European Communities. These include, in particular, the EU Treaties in their entirety, as well as all existing EU legislation and Court of Justice judgments.
	The acquis ranges over virtually all policy areas and its content develops over time. To try to estimate its size" would be as meaningless as to try to estimate the size" of UK law.

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by the UK on supporting measures to eradicate heroin poppy cultivation in Afghanistan; and what change there has been in the (a) cultivation of poppies and (b) production of heroin over the period of that support.

Kim Howells: Since 2001 the UK's overall spend on counter narcotics work in Afghanistan has been as follows:
	
		
			  Overall spend (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 31,000 
			 2002–03 1,599,036 
			 2003–04 16,500,931 
		
	
	Final outturn figures for financial year 2004–05 have not yet been confirmed.
	However, we estimate total spend to be around £20 million.
	The UK continues to provide substantial financial and practical support to the Afghan Government in the implementation of their comprehensive national drug control strategy. This year, the UK will spend more than £50 million, including £30 million on alternative livelihoods.
	The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. Full details can be found on their website at:
	http://www.unodc.org/pdf/afg/afghanistan_opium_32survey 2004.pdf
	During the period detailed, the reported levels of cultivation and production was as follows:
	
		
			  Hectares Tonnes 
		
		
			 2001 8,000 185 
			 2002 74,000 3,400 
			 2003 80,000 3,600 
			 2004 131,000 4,200 
		
	
	There are no reliable figures to show how much of this opium was processed into heroin within Afghanistan.
	The UK, as lead nation on counter narcotics (CN), remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in the implementation of their comprehensive 2005 CN implementation plan and in updating their national drug control strategy. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 234–35W, on the counter narcotics programme in Afghanistan .

China

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the UK position on lifting the EU embargo on arms sales to China on (a) the UK balance of trade with the USA and (b) the UK arms industry.

Kim Howells: The Government are concerned about the possibility of legislation being introduced by the US Congress and the effect that this may have on UK companies' future export sales and strategies. We are making and shall continue to make our views known to the US Administration and Congress to ensure that UK exports are not negatively affected as a result of any future lift of the EU embargo on arms sales to China. The European Council in December 2004 concluded that any decision on the arms embargo should not lead to
	an increase in arms exports from EU Member States to China, neither in quantitative nor in qualitative terms".
	Proposed exports from the UK defence industry to China will continue to be subject to the EU code of conduct, which is, and will remain, the key to controlling EU arms exports to China.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Colombian Government on the recent arrest of the Colombian Agricultural Trade Union representative Hernando Hernandez Tapasco; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Our embassy in Bogota has contacted the Colombian authorities to seek clarification of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Hernando Hernandez Tapasco. The Colombians advise that he was lawfully arrested on 1 June 2005 in Bogota on suspicion of being a member of an illegal armed group.
	Human rights are at the heart of our policy towards Colombia and we regularly raise such cases with the Colombian authorities. We also urge the Colombian Government to implement the recommendations arising from successive annual reports from the Colombia office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and have offered our assistance to achieve this. Human rights have formed a significant strand in the three visits paid by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers to Colombia in the last few years.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will answer the letter dated 15 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. S. Siddique.

Kim Howells: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 547W.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply in full to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 6 April 2005 regarding Kit Marshall of Thurlestone and his detainment at Miami airport in January.

Ian Pearson: In April, consular officials at our Vice-Consulate in Orlando approached the US Immigration authorities at Miami airport about Mr. Marshall's case. The US authorities told them that Mr. Marshall's complaint is serious and as a result, has been forwarded to their headquarters in Washington, for further investigation.
	We await a substantive reply from the headquarters in Washington and will continue to remind them of the need to respond to Mr. Marshall's complaint as soon as possible. The hon. Member will receive a full reply as soon as we have further information from the US immigration authorities in Washington.

Diego Garcia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how long the lease of Diego Garcia to the US runs; and what arrangements he expects will be put in place for Diego Garcia when the lease expires.

Douglas Alexander: There is no lease of Diego Garcia to the United States. Under the Exchange of Notes between the United Kingdom and United States concerning the Availability for Defence Purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory of 30 December 1966, the whole Territory is to remain available to meet the possible defence needs of the two countries for an initial period of 50 years from 1966, and thereafter for a further period of 20 years unless either party has given prior notice to terminate it within the two years immediately before the end of the initial period. No plans have been made regarding what will happen in 2016 when the initial period of the agreement has expired.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of whether British citizens Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters, who died at Balibo, East Timor, on 16 October 1975, were murdered; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to make an assessment about whether these two British citizens were murdered. The author of a report commissioned by the Australian Government in 1999 (the Sherman Report) concluded that he had
	... never reached the stage of concluding that the Balibo 5 [of which Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie were two] were murdered ... "

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has met the relatives of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters to inquire into the security of the United Nations' police files on their case; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) met relatives of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters in September 2003 and March 2004. We have since made representations to both the UN and to the Government of Timor Leste (East Timor) about the future security of these and other files.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the security of the police files of East Timor's Serious Crimes Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We have not made an assessment of the security of the files held by the Serious Crimes Unit in Dili, East Timor. We understand that the UN will be advising how it believes the case documents should be handled in future. We have recently made clear to the UN in East Timor and to the Government of Timor Leste (East Timor) the importance we attach to the security of this information.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what correspondence he has had with Indonesia's (a) Foreign Minister and (b) ambassador regarding the case of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: This case was raised in 2004 by the former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien), with both Indonesia's Foreign Minister and the then Indonesian ambassador.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the British police regarding their involvement in the case of British citizens Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The British police have not been involved in this case, although we understand a British police officer was at one time a temporary member of the UN civilian police detachment in East Timor.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in persuading the Indonesian authorities to bring to trial in Indonesia or to extradite to East Timor those Indonesian military officers from Indonesia's Battalion 745 who have been indicted by East Timor's Serious Crime Unit for the murder of Financial Times journalist Sander Thoenes; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The death of Sander Thoenes, a Dutch journalist working for the Financial Times killed in East Timor in 1999, fell within the remit of the Serious Crimes Unit in Dili, East Timor, and has been investigated by them. We understand that no further progress has been made in bringing anyone to trial.

East Timor

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in persuading Indonesian authorities to investigate crimes committed by the Indonesian Army's Battalion 745 (a) on 21 September 1999, including the attack on Sunday Times journalist Jon Swain and his three companions and (b) during other stages of the Battalion's withdrawal from East Timor in 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Human rights violations committed in 1999 in East Timor have been investigated by both the Serious Crimes Unit in Dili and the ad hoc tribunal in Jakarta. Further information may result from the work of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation established by Indonesia and East Timor and due to start work by August 2005.

Electoral Reform (Africa)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the Tanzanian Government in relation to ensuring peaceful, fair and transparent elections to both Tanzanian assemblies in October.

Ian Pearson: We are in regular touch with the Governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar, and the opposition, on the importance of peaceful, fair and transparent elections. The UK co-chairs, along with the National Electoral Commission, a Steering Committee which is supporting the electoral process on the mainland, and to which we have contributed approximately £800,000. We are also funding implementation of the Muafaka Agreement, aimed at promoting reconciliation between the two main political parties on Zanzibar and working towards peaceful and credible elections there.

Electoral Reform (Africa)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the Government in Cote D'Ivoire in relation to (a) respecting its commitments fully to implement the provisions of the Pretoria Agreement and (b) ensuring the elections in October are free from intimidation, fair and transparent.

Ian Pearson: We welcomed and supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 1603, passed unanimously on 3 June 2005, demanding that all signatories to the Pretoria agreement and all the Ivorian parties concerned implement it fully and without delay, and demanding that all the Ivorian parties take all necessary steps to ensure that the forthcoming general elections are free, fair and transparent.

Electoral Reform (Africa)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo concerning (a) the constitutional reform process, (b) the next phase of the transition arrangements and (c) ensuring that the forthcoming referendum, presidential and legislative elections are transparent, free and fair.

Ian Pearson: We and international partners worked closely with members of the Congolese Government and Parliament on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s new constitution before its adoption on 16 May 2005. We continue to press the DRC Government and Independent Electoral Commission to establish soon a realistic electoral calendar and begin voter registration. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, made these points to the President of the Congolese Parliament on 25 May 2005. We have contributed £5 million to the United Nations Trust Fund supporting elections, as part of a wider package. We are discussing with partners how best to ensure the security and integrity of these elections.

Electoral Reform (Africa)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda concerning (a) the proposed constitutional reforms dealing with removing limits on multi-party politics and presidential terms and (b) ensuring that the forthcoming referendum, presidential and legislative elections are transparent, free and fair.

Ian Pearson: We have repeatedly underlined our support for a return to multiparty politics, and for a free and fair referendum and elections. We hold regular meetings with Ugandan Ministers to discuss the political situation, including the transition, the forthcoming referendum and the elections due next March. The high commissioner has also raised these issues directly with President Museveni, and last did so when they met on 28 May 2005.

EU Constitution

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work is being done by (a) his Department and (b) the EU Commission on proposals for (i) an EU Diplomatic Service, (ii) an EU President, (iii) an EU Foreign Minister, (iv) an EU Defence Agency and (v) implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; what the legal basis is in each case; and when work began.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 13 June 2005
	There have been official level discussions between member states, the Commission and the Council Secretariat on preparations for a European External Action Service" since October 2004. No conclusions have been drawn. The Commission and the High Representative have produced an issues paper" and progress report on the European External Action Service. This preparatory work was specifically requested by the Heads of State and Government in October 2004 and December 2004.
	No work has been undertaken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the proposed posts of the European Council President and EU Foreign Minister beyond internal analysis of the implications of these proposals for the UK. It is not for the Government to comment on any internal work by the Commission on either of these two posts.
	The European Defence Agency was established in June 2004 under the provisions of the Treaty on European Union following the unanimous agreement of Heads of State and Government in June 2003. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office contributes to the work of the Ministry of Defence in agreeing work plans for the European Defence Agency. A representative of the European Commission is a member of the European Defence Agency Steering Board, and the Agency liaises with the Commission in its work on the European defence industry and security research.
	The Charter of Fundamental Rights would be implemented in the UK by the Bill proposed to give effect to the Constitutional Treaty (the European Union Bill). The Government's current intentions with regard to that Bill were set out by the Foreign Secretary in his statement to the House on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92, on the EU Constitutional Treaty.

EU Directives

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the EU Directive on Services.

Douglas Alexander: Negotiations on the draft Directive for Services in the Internal Market are still at an early stage. The proposal is currently being debated in the European Parliament, which is due to complete its First Reading in early autumn. We then expect a revised Commission proposal which will form the basis for further negotiations. The UK remains a strong supporter of the Directive—we will continue to work with the Commission, the Parliament and EU partners to produce a measure that opens up the European services market and reduces barriers to business across the continent.

EU Directives

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is regarding (a) the country of origin principle and (b) the freedom of establishment principle within the EU directive on services.

Douglas Alexander: The UK strongly supports the Directive on Services in the Internal Market—there is vast untapped potential in the services sector, which accounts for over two-thirds of EU Gross Domestic Product.
	The country of origin principle is an important means to facilitate the temporary provision of services across borders. This is of particular relevance to small businesses, which need to be able to enter new markets on a temporary basis without committing themselves to the full costs of establishment.
	The UK strongly supports proposals in the draft directive for simplifying administrative procedures and screening authorisations for establishment. These measures will reduce bureaucracy, make it easier for service providers to become established in other member states, and complement the EU and UK better regulation agenda.

Europe Directorate Budget

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the Europe Directorate's budget for developing a longer-term communications strategy for financial year 2004–05 has been spent; what work has been completed; what further work is planned; and if he will make a statement on the Government's long-term communications strategy for informing the public about the EU, including the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement made to the House on the EU Constitutional Treaty on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92.
	All of the money allocated for developing a longer-term communications strategy in financial year 2004–05 has been spent. The money has been used to develop a communications strategy on the EU. No final decisions have yet been made on communication activities on the EU Constitutional Treaty for financial year 2005–06.

Honorary Consul (Antananarivo)

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to maintain the position of honorary consul in Antananarivo; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced on 15 December 2004, Official report, columns 137–140WS that the British embassy in Antananarivo will close shortly After closure relations with Madagascar will be covered from our High Commission in Port Louis, Mauritius. We intend to appoint an honorary consul in Antananarivo.

Lebanon

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to hold discussions with the Lebanese authorities following the recent elections there.

Kim Howells: There are no plans for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to hold discussions with the Lebanese authorities once the elections are completed there on 19 June. However, our embassy in Beirut has regular contact with representatives of the Lebanese authorities, and I spoke briefly with Foreign Minister Hammoud during the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, and hope to see the Lebanese ambassador later this month.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the private finance initiative and public private partnership projects his Department is undertaking; and what the status of each is.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has two private finance initiatives and one public private partnership arrangement in place.
	Private Finance Initiatives:
	1. Global Crossing—Provision of a worldwide telecommunications network for a term of ten years from 10 May 2000. The total estimated value of the contract is £236 million. The present unitary payment charged to the operating cost statement is £25 million per annum. This is an off-balance sheet charge and can be viewed in the FCO 2003–04 Resource Accounts on the FCO websiteathttp://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/KFile/FCOResourceAccounts200304,0.pdf
	2. Arteos—In respect of the building, operation and maintenance of the British embassy in Berlin for a term of 30 years from 23 June 1998 with an option to extend for a further 30 years. The total estimated value of the contract over its lifetime is £131.5 million. The current unitary payment is £4.5 million per annum. This is mainly an on-balance sheet charge and can be viewed in the FCO 2003–04 Resource Accounts on the FCO website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/KFile/FCOResourceAccounts200304,0.pdf
	Public Private Partnership:
	3. Hewlett Packard—The FCO awarded a contract to Hewlett Packard in February 2005 to become the FCO's strategic partner for the provision of its global IT infrastructure. The value of the contract is £179 million over seven years.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of his Department comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has just published a revised Race Equality Scheme 2005–08 which is available on our website, www.fco.gov.uk. This scheme sets out how the FCO will meet its obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and lists the FCO's non-departmental public bodies to whom the RR(A)A applies.

Russia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are being taken to help Russia secure its (a) nuclear material and (b) facilities against terrorism.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK is currently implementing a series of projects under the Global Partnership programme to enhance security of nuclear materials across the former Soviet Union (FSU). In addition to projects already completed at the Atomflot port in Murmansk, negotiations are under way to support an enhanced physical protection programme at the Nikiet Institute in Moscow. Further discussions are underway with the Russian authorities to identify potential future projects for UK support. The planned budget for nuclear security work under the Global Partnership is £4 million for this financial year.
	A number of other countries involved in the Global Partnership programme, most notably the US, Canada and Germany have portfolios of projects to address security of nuclear materials and facilities. The UK is working closely with these and other countries to maximise the impact of our assistance, for example through increasing the focus on nuclear security in the G8 Nuclear Safety and Security Group which is currently under UK chairmanship.

Sierra Leone

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a report from the UK high commission in Sierra Leone relating to the work of that country's anti-corruption commission; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We receive regular reports from the high commission on the anti-corruption commission's progress. We also receive the commission's annual reports. The commission has a vital role to play in co-ordinating the Government's efforts to detect and prevent corruption. The UK, at the request of the Government of Sierra Leone, helped to establish the commission. We are its main external supporter, providing funds and specialist expatriate staff.

Sierra Leone

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission as soon as it is made available to him; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: As soon as the full report of the commission is published, a copy will be placed in the Library.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution the UK plans to make to (a) witness protection and (b) an effective investigation team in the recently announced International Criminal Court case regarding genocide, war crimes and crime against humanity in Darfur.

Ian Pearson: The Government concluded a general agreement in 2004 with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to provide witness protection services at the request of the Court.
	The Court will carry out its investigations in Darfur and elsewhere in an entirely independent capacity. In order to respect this independence, and to protect the integrity of the Court's operations, it would not be appropriate to comment on the operational aspects of specific ICC investigations; nor to reveal what support the UK is providing. The UK remains ready to consider any specific request put forward by the Court.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the decision to pursue a case against alleged perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur through the International Criminal Court.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary held numerous discussions with a number of Security Council foreign ministers, including with his US counterpart, in the weeks preceding the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1593 which referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. The US abstained, but did not veto this resolution, and has made clear its strong support for putting on trial those allegedly responsible for serious international crimes in Darfur.

Sudan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the UK is taking to deal with the situation in Darfur.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 14 June 2005
	We are gravely concerned by the situation in Darfur and are playing a leading role in pressing for peace there. We were closely involved in the recent Security Council resolutions on Sudan, which extended the arms embargo in Darfur to the Government of Sudan and imposed sanctions against individuals who violate human rights and obstruct the peace process. We sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1593, which referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court.
	The African Union (AU) mission in Darfur is having a positive impact on security there and we fully support their decision to expand the mission to over 7,000 personnel. We have committed more than £20 million to the AU to date, mainly in logistical support, including delivery of nearly 600 vehicles.
	Since October 2003 we have provided more than £74 million in humanitarian aid to Darfur, making us the second largest bilateral donor. We have set aside £119.5 million for our work in Sudan this financial year.
	We will continue to press all sides to reach a political settlement for Darfur. To this end, we welcome the resumption of the Abuja peace talks. A UK representative will attend the talks on their resumption, and will provide advice to the parties in support of the AU's mediation work.

Sudan

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the leaders of the Arab League to take steps to assist in resolving the situation in Darfur.

Ian Pearson: The UK is greatly concerned about the crisis in Darfur. We are urging all sides to work together to find a political solution to the conflict. We regularly press other members of the international community, including the Arab League, to do what they can to support the African Union (AU) mediation at the Darfur peace talks in Abuja, and to use their influence with the parties to get them to engage constructively in political dialogue. To this end, we welcome the recent Heads of State Darfur summit in Tripoli, at which Egypt, Libya, Chad, Nigeria and Gabon called for the resumption of peace talks, and secured the commitment of the Government of Sudan to attend and engage in good faith. We welcome the resumption, on 10 June, of peace talks in Abuja. A UK Representative is present to provide support to the parties.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the outcome of the recent London debate on the constitutional amendment in Uganda.

Ian Pearson: It is important that any constitutional changes have the genuine confidence of the people and their representatives. We therefore welcome public debate of this kind. We continue to urge the Government of Uganda to ensure that all political change, including amendments to the Constitution, follows the procedures set out in the Constitution, respects the rule of law and institutions of governance, and is free from physical intimidation or manipulation.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the steps taken by the Government of Uganda to deal with institutional corruption in that country.

Ian Pearson: We welcome the publication of the Government of Uganda's 2005 National Strategy to Fight Corruption, which acknowledges that corruption is a serious problem in Uganda. Progress has been made in establishing the basic institutional and legislative framework. The UK has been providing practical support for these government led initiatives. But more remains to be done. For example, there has been little follow through on any of the recent Commissions of Inquiry related to corruption issues.

Uzbekistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States Administration regarding the human rights record of the Government of Uzbekistan.

Douglas Alexander: On 17 May 2005 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed recent events in Andijan with US Secretary of State Rice in Washington. Like the UK, the US has condemned reports of the Uzbek Government's disproportionate use of force in Andijan and has called for an independent, international investigation into Andijan. On 8 June 2005 the State Department press spokesman, Sean McCormack, noted that there had been many reliable eyewitness accounts of Uzbek forces shooting civilians, and that it was now clear hundreds of innocent civilians had been killed. He also reiterated the US call for an independent, international investigation, stating that it was important
	to find out what happened, so the Uzbek people know, so the world knows, and so that something like this does not happen again."

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many individuals were refused visas to visit the UK from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh and (d) Jamaica in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) age and (iii) marital status.

Kim Howells: UKvisas does not hold statistics about visit visas in the categories requested. The number of visit visas to the UK applied for and refused during 2003–04, was as follows:
	
		
			  April 2003 to March 2004 
			 Visit visas Received Refused 
		
		
			 India 232,519 36,631 
			 Pakistan 83,566 9,032 
			 Bangladesh 24,839 9,839 
			 Jamaica 23,552 10,412 
		
	
	Figures for April 2004 to March 2005 are not yet available. When they are, they can be found, along with further entry clearance statistics, on the UKvisas website at www.ukvisas.gov.uk—Entry Clearance: Facts and Figures".

Weapons Testing (Syria/Iran)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the Syrian missile tests on 27 May and (b) the Iranian announcement on 31 May that it had successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the Shahab 3 missile; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Syria has said that the firing of three SCUD missiles, one of which exploded with debris landing in Syria, Turkey and the Mediterranean, was a test of its defensive weapons systems. We do not believe that this represents an attempt by Syria to develop an offensive missile capability.
	We are aware of reports that Iran claims to have tested a solid fuel motor for their Shahab 3 missile. Iran's ballistic missile programme remains an issue of serious concern for us and for the international community.

Zimbabwe

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK's relations with Zimbabwe.

Ian Pearson: The United Kingdom has a long and deep relationship with Zimbabwe and its people. We maintain diplomatic relations with the Government of Zimbabwe, including embassies in respective capitals, to promote reform and convey directly our concerns, shared by many in the international community, about the dire situation in the country and the misrule of the current Government. The current crackdown in Zimbabwe is the latest example of the regime's lack of respect for individuals' welfare or human rights. On 2 June the British ambassador raised our protest directly with the Vice President.
	But our relations go well beyond governmental contact, and include support to civil society and £71 million of humanitarian assistance provided since September 2001. This includes programmes to help orphans, vulnerable children and pregnant mothers. Department for International Development are presently responding to the current crisis by providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable, mainly through the UN and International Organisation for Migration. To date, over 5,000 families have been reached with food, blankets, soap and other forms of assistance. Where appropriate, transport, emergency water and sanitation has been provided.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of South Africa concerning the sale of Alouette helicopter spares to Zimbabwe.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 13 June 2005
	The British High Commission in Pretoria has raised this issue with the South African Government and reiterated British Government concerns over the supply of any military equipment that may be used for internal repression in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made in response to the Zimbabwean police force's expressed intention to use force during the National Strike to be held on 9 and 10 June 2005.

Ian Pearson: The British ambassador in Harare condemned the brutal actions of the authorities throughout the recent crackdown in Zimbabwe when he met with Vice President Joyce Mujuru and, separately, Didymus Mutasa, Minister of State for National Security, on 2 and 3 June 2005 respectively. The European Union has also condemned these actions. We continue to monitor the situation on the ground and will consider further protests to the Zimbabwean authorities should the actions of the Zimbabwean police force during the national strike warrant them.

Zimbabwe

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made in relation to the Zimbabwean Government's slum clearance campaign.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner), (UIN 3763).

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what new academies are proposed to be built; and what stage discussions with sponsors and local education authorities have reached to date.

Jacqui Smith: There are 17 open Academies with 10 more set to open in September 2005. There are currently proposals for a further 38 Academies being developed. Of these 38 there are 27 Academies that are in the stage of implementation, meaning that a Funding Agreement has been signed between the Secretary of State for Education and skills and the sponsor to establish and maintain the Academy. There are a further 21 projects in the stage of feasibility testing, where the Department investigates and consults whether an Academy is appropriate in an area once a sponsor has been selected and the LEA confirms it wishes to be involved.
	In addition there are around 140 projects in early stages of development where the Department explores whether an Academy can be established in an area in partnership with an LEA and/or predecessor school.

Access Agreements

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many access agreements have been completed between the Office of Fair Access and higher education institutions in England; and if she will place copies of each such agreement in the Library.

Bill Rammell: 120 such access agreements have been completed with higher education institutions, plus 34 agreements with further education colleges. Copies of all finalised agreements are available on the Office of Fair Access website, www.offa.org.uk

Access Agreements

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the deadline is for the conclusion of access agreements between the Office for Fair Access and those higher education institutions in England intending to charge the maximum tuition fees from 2006.

Bill Rammell: The Office for Fair Access has not set any strict deadlines around the completion of access agreements. It would expect all agreements for 2006 to have been completed in time for institutions to tell prospective students about bursary arrangements before the start of the UCAS application cycle in September 2005, for entry in September 2006.

Action Zones (Pupil Achievement)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, columns 468–69W, on action zones (pupil achievement), what assessment she has made of the research to which she refers.

Jacqui Smith: Research evidence was considered by Ministers and officials and taken in to account as we reviewed the effectiveness of the Education Action Zones (EAZs). Many of the recommendations were used to inform policy development, especially as the EAZs reached the end of their statutory lifespan and they have been transformed into either an Excellence Cluster (where a zone was not in an EiC area) or an EiC Action Zone (where they were in an EiC area). This has enabled us to develop a more focused strategy with a less bureaucratic structure.

Adult Education Funding

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the change in the number of (a) adult education classes and (b) adult education places as a result of the budget allocations agreed by her Department and the Learning and Skills Council in the academic year 2005/06.

Bill Rammell: Government have been clear about their priorities for adult further education and public funding will increasingly focus on ensuring adults are able to gain a platform of skills for employability. In line with these priorities, state funded adult learner numbers in Skills for Life and full Level 2 courses are expected to continue to increase in 2005/06. However, the Skills Strategy set out the need to rebalance the contributions of Government, individuals and employers towards the costs of learning and we support the case for charging higher fees for provision outside these priority areas, particularly for better qualified learners, for those studying for pleasure or personal development, and for employers. Colleges and other providers must decide how they can best raise income from non-government sources to support the continued provision of a broad range of courses for adults.

Bullying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Behaviour Improvement Programme on (a) behaviour, (b) bullying, (c) antisocial behaviour, (d) attendance and (e) truancy.

Jacqui Smith: In his 2003/04 annual report, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools said that
	The government's Behaviour Improvement Programme is effective in the large majority of schools in which it is in place".
	My Department has commissioned the London University Institute of Education to carry out a detailed evaluation of the programme. The results will be published this autumn.

Child Care

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to raise the proportion of child care workers who are male.

Maria Eagle: We have been running a national recruitment campaign since 2000 to encourage people to consider working in child care. Within the campaign, we have targeted those under-represented in the child care workforce, including men, through a range of initiatives. We have, for example, produced a video for men considering working in child care and our latest press advertising campaign features a case study about a male child carer. We have also commissioned the Daycare Trust to work with local authorities to enhance their efforts to promote the recruitment of men in their local labour markets.

Child Care

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of the implementation of the Childcare Bill's new duties for local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: We shall shortly be undertaking a consultation exercise on the content of the Childcare Bill to be introduced in the autumn. As part of the consultation we will produce a Regulatory Impact Assessment which will include details of costings.

Children's Fund

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the allocation from the Children's Fund was in each of the last four financial years (a) in total and (b) for each recipient authority.

Beverley Hughes: There are 149 Children's Fund partnerships based in each local authority area in England, responsible for delivering a range of preventive services for children and young people aged 5–13. The fund was rolled out in three waves from April 2001 to March 2005 onwards and I have placed in the Library a full list of allocations made to Children's Fund partnerships, totalling well over £500 million for that period.
	Following the last Spending Review, Children's Fund partnerships have been allocated £411.5 million over the three years 2005–06 to 2007–08.

Departmental Union Representation

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many trade union learning representatives there are in her Department.

Maria Eagle: My Department currently has five trade union learning representatives, with provision for a further 15 and one full-time union learning representative co-ordinator, yet to be appointed. Trade union representatives carry out their union duties in addition to their normal job roles.

Family Resolutions Project

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimates her Department had made of the number of likely participants prior to the setting up of the Family Resolutions Project;
	(2)  what the estimated costs of running the Family Resolutions Project are;
	(3)  how many parents have taken part in the Family Resolutions Pilot Project to date; and how many have accepted mediation services as part of the project.

Maria Eagle: During the design phase of Family Resolutions it was estimated that up to 1,000 parental couples could be eligible for consideration as participants in the Family Resolutions Pilot Project during a full year of operation. However, the number referred to the project has to date been significantly lower, due to a number of factors. These include there being a lower than expected number of applications to the participating courts; the exclusion of cases where harm is a factor and the refusal of some parents to participate. As at 14 June 2005, 47 couples have participated in the pilot and, of these, 23 couples have participated in the Parent Planning session.
	Family Resolutions does not offer mediation as part of its services. Instead, in the Parent Planning session, couples, with the aid of a CAFCASS adviser and the Parenting Plans, are enabled to seek agreement about the practicalities of contact and other post-separation parenting arrangements
	The costs of setting up and running the pilot project were estimated at £300,000 over one year for the three pilot areas; exact costs cannot be confirmed until the pilot is complete, after September 2005. To date, £173,669 has been spent.

Forecasts (16 to 18-year-olds)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the projected (a) number and (b) percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds participating in (i) education, (ii) training and (iii) employment in the UK is for each year between 2005 and 2010; and what the figures were for each year from 1994 to 2004.

Jacqui Smith: The Department only holds information for participation estimates and their projections at England level. Participation rates and projections in other countries of the UK are matters for the respective devolved authorities.
	The numbers and the percentages of 16 to 18-year-olds in education, training and employment from end 1994 to end 2003 are shown in the following table. The education and training information is split into those young people participating in full-time education and training which includes LSC funded work-based learning (WBL), employer funded training (EFT) and other education and training (OET). The participation projections between end 2004 and end 2007 are also given in the table. Projections after end 2007 will be constructed as part of the 2006 spending review. Projections are not made of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds in employment.
	
		Participation in education and training of 16 to 18-year-olds by labour market status, England, 1994 to 2003(36)
		
			  Participation estimates as at end of the calendar years: 
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
			 All in age group (number, thousand)
		
		
			 Full-time education 921 957 1,000 1,010 999 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 184 174 178 177 173 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 88 85 93 102 105 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 83 79 91 99 96 
			 Total education and training(40) 1,262 1,284 1,352 1,380 1,366 
			 In employment(41) 221 234 239 270 265 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(36) 142 151 158 157 173 
			 Total 1,625 1,668 1,749 1,806 1,804 
			   
			 All in age group (percentage)
			 Full-time education 57 57 57 56 55 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 11 10 10 10 10 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 5 5 5 6 6 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Total education and training(40) 78 77 77 76 76 
			 In employment(41) 14 14 14 15 15 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(42) 9 9 9 9 10 
			 Total 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Participation estimates as at end of the calendar years: 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 provisional 
		
		
			 All in age group (number, thousand)
			 Full-time education 1,007 1,011 1,027 1,057 1,083 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 167 167 157 151 160 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 102 88 95 100 104 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 91 100 107 104 105 
			 Total education and training(40) 1,364 1,362 1,383 1,409 1,449 
			 In employment(41) 276 262 287 298 298 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(36) 147 166 179 186 182 
			 Total 1,786 1,790 1,849 1,893 1,929 
			   
			 All in age group (percentage)
			 Full-time education 56 56 56 56 56 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 9 9 8 8 8 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 6 5 5 5 5 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 5 6 6 5 5 
			 Total education and training(40) 76 76 75 74 75 
			 In employment(41) 15 15 16 16 15 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(42) 8 9 10 10 9 
			 Total 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Participation projections: 
			  2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 
		
		
			 All in age group (number, thousand)
			 Full-time education 1,132 1,172 1,198 1,216 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 166 173 184 195 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 99 94 91 88 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 98 93 90 87 
			 Total education and training(40) 1,492 1,529 1,560 1,582 
			 In employment(41) — — — — 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(36) — — — — 
			 Total 1,950 1,966 1,983 1,991 
			  
			 All in age group (percentage)
			 Full-time education 58 60 60 61 
			 Work Based Learning (WBL)(37) 9 9 9 10 
			 Employer Funded Training (EFT)(38) 5 5 5 4 
			 Other education and training (OET)(39) 5 5 5 4 
			 Total education and training(40) 77 78 79 79 
			 In employment(41) — — — — 
			 Not in education, employment or training (NEET)(42) — — — — 
			 Total 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	(36) Participation estimates may be slightly underestimated for 16-year-olds between 1999 and 2000; 17-year-olds between 2000 and 2001; and 18-year-olds 2001 and 2002.
	See paragraphs 9–11 of SFR 03/2005 for further information.
	(37) Includes a small number of 16 to 18-year-olds who are also doing full-time education. Includes part-time education funded through WBL.
	(38) Includes part-time education funded by employers.
	(39) Includes part-time education not funded by employers or through WBL; also full-time or part-time education in independent FE and HE institutions.
	(40) Total of all full-time education and WBL (less WBL in full-time education) plus EFT and OET.
	(41) The remainder of the age group who are in employment but not in any form of education or training.
	(42) The remainder of the age group who are ILO unemployed or economically inactive and not in any form of education or training.
	Source:
	DfES SFR 03/2005—Participation in education, training and employment by 16 to 18-year-olds in England: 1985 to 2003 (Revised) and DfES participation projections for 16 to 18-year-olds

Fostering

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to encourage an increased number of foster carers; and how much her Department has spent on recruitment campaigns to encourage people to become foster carers in the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Funding of £113 million has been made available from 2003–04 to 2005–06 through the Choice Protects programme to support local authorities in improving placement choice for their looked after children—in particular through strengthening and expanding their fostering services, including by recruiting greater numbers of foster carers. Of this amount, a total of £7.25 million has been retained over the three years of the grant to fund national initiatives, including measures to support the recruitment and retention of foster carers. These include the establishment of a new national advice line for foster carers, a new national awards ceremony, measures to improve the support given to foster carers who are subject to allegations as well as work to improve training opportunities for foster carers.
	In addition, my Department has funded a number of initiatives to support the recruitment activities of local authorities. We have funded the production of a Fostering Publicity Pack, at a cost of £100,000, designed to help local authorities to run targeted local campaigns to recruit new foster carers. We have awarded a three year grant of £180,000 to The Fostering Network to support 'Fostercare Fortnight', which has a particular focus on recruitment, and we have recently awarded a two year grant to The Fostering Network of £80,000 to look at innovation in foster care recruitment. These steps, aimed at supporting recruitment at a local level, follow on from a national recruitment campaign undertaken by the National Foster Carer Association on behalf of the Department, in 2000, in which £2 million was invested.

Fostering

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on Government plans to tighten safeguards protecting the welfare of privately fostered children.

Maria Eagle: The Government plan to enhance and strengthen the private fostering notification under the Children Act 1989 through new measures in the Children Act 2004 and underpinning regulations, which come into force on 1 July 2005.
	The new measures will require local authorities to promote public awareness in their area of the requirements as to notification; to satisfy themselves of the suitability of a proposed arrangement before it commences, where advance notification is given; and to monitor the way in which they discharge their Children Act 1989 functions in relation to private fostering, and to appoint an officer of the authority for that purpose.
	The new measures, along with National Minimum Standards, are expected to focus local authorities' attention on private fostering by requiring them to take a more proactive approach to identifying arrangements in their area. The new measures are also expected to improve notification rates and compliance with the existing legislative framework for private fostering, and significantly to increase the number of arrangements checked out before a child begins to be privately fostered.

Fostering

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to provide privately fostered children with greater access to their social workers.

Maria Eagle: Under the existing private fostering regulations (the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 1991) local authorities are already required to make arrangements for each child who is privately fostered within their area to be visited by an officer of the authority when reasonably requested by the child (or private foster carer) and, in particular, in the first year of the private fostering arrangement, within one week from its beginning and then at intervals of not more than six weeks and in any second or subsequent year, at intervals of not more than three months.
	This requirement is reproduced and extended in the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005, which replace the 1991 regulations and come into force on 1 July 2005. The 2005 regulations also require the local authority to arrange for a privately fostered child to be visited when reasonably requested to do so by a parent of the child, or any other person with parental responsibility for him or her. Further, these regulations also require the local authority to visit a privately fostered child at least every six weeks during the first year after it becomes aware that a private fostering arrangement is in place.
	In addition, under the 2005 regulations, on receipt of a notification of a proposal to foster a child privately, local authorities will be required to arrange for an officer to visit and speak to the child within seven working days of such a notification being received, among other things to establish the wishes and feelings of the child about the proposed arrangement (considered in the light of his or her age and understanding).

Grammar Schools (Buckinghamshire)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in each (a) grammar school and (b) upper school in Buckinghamshire achieved each (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level grade in each year since 2001, broken down by ethnic group.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Higher Education

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representatives she will send to the Higher Education Funding Council Conference on rates of participation in higher education on 15 June in Birmingham; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department will not be sending a representative to this meeting although officials are aware of its purpose, which we understand is to explore the reasons behind the low participation in higher education (HE) rates for three constituencies and to agree how these rates might be improved. The Department will be kept informed of and where appropriate involved in the outcomes of the 15 June meeting in Birmingham. The Government remain committed to widening participation in HE for all those who have the merit and potential to benefit from it, regardless of background. Much of the Government's reforms of HE over the last year has widening participation at its heart and we look forward to seeing improvements in participation rates as a result.

Key Stage Learning

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the research commissioned by Professor David Jesson of York University on the achievement at Key Stage 4 of children with high levels of attainment at Key Stage 2.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 7 June 2005, Official Report, columns 474–75W.

Learning Methods

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the difference is between learning by heart multiplication facts, as required by the Framework for Teaching Mathematics: Reception to Year 6 document, and learning by heart multiplication tables.

Jacqui Smith: The Primary National Strategy stresses the importance of learning multiplication 'facts' (such as 8 x 7 = 56) which are bought together in multiplication tables. Acquiring these facts is a core part of children's mathematical education, and helps deepen their mathematical understanding, for example, enabling them to make the link between multiplication and division. Teaching multiplication tables can be used as a key means of ensuring that children learn multiplication facts.

Personalised Learning

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on progress on introducing personalised learning for secondary school pupils;
	(2)  when she expects all secondary school pupils to have access to a personalised package of learning;
	(3)  what role her Department will play in implementing personalised packages of learning for secondary school pupils;
	(4)  whether the Department will introduce targets for the implementation of personalised packages of learning;
	(5)  what assessment she has made of the (a) financial and (b) personnel resources needed to introduce personalised packages of learning for secondary school pupils;
	(6)  what assessment she has made of the training required for teachers to introduce personalised packages of learning for secondary school pupils; and what plans she has to implement this.

Jacqui Smith: Through the Five Year Strategy for Children and Learning and the 14–19 White Paper we have embarked on an ambitious long-term agenda to personalise the education system to meet the needs of all pupils. A central element of that is the idea of Personalised Learning"—tailoring educational provision to individual needs, interests and aptitudes so that every young person can receive a personalised package of learning and support to enable them to fulfil their potential.
	Personalised learning has five key components that offer a framework for implementation:
	assessment for learning;
	effective teaching and learning strategies;
	curriculum entitlement, choice and flexibility;
	school organisation for personalisation;
	partnership beyond the school to remove barriers to learning.
	Personalised Learning is not new, nor is it a discreet package or programme to be delivered in isolation. Many schools and teachers have tailored the curriculum and teaching methods to meet the needs of pupils with great success for many years. We will continue to support schools through the continuous professional development provision provided by the National Strategies, our workforce remodelling and forthcoming curricula reforms.

Prison Education

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prisoners are registered on prison education programmes.

Phil Hope: The Prison Service does not collect centrally individual information on prisoners participating in learning and skills through its contracts with education providers.
	However, a 2003 report published by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (Education, Training, Assessment and Learner Support in HM Prisons and Young Offender Institutions"), found that 39 per cent. of prisoners were engaged in education and training.

Prison Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the (a) target for and (b) number of offenders acquiring (i) Basic Skills Level 1, (ii) Basic Skills Level 2, (iii) Basic Skills Level 3, (iv) Basic Skills Level 4 and (v) Basic Skills Level 5 in each year since 2002.

Phil Hope: Since 2002, targets and achievement by offenders of awards in literacy, language and numeracy at entry level, level one and level two in prisons in England and Wales, have been:
	
		
			 Custody 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Entry Level Target 6,000 7,749 16,970 
			 Entry Level Achievement 9,181 13,500 22,301 
			 Level 1 Target 12,000 14,462 23,430 
			 Level 1 Achievement 16,991 18,911 25,371 
			 Level 2 Target 10,800 14,420 15,600 
			 Level 2 Achievement 15,147 14,233 15,875 
		
	
	For offenders in the community, the National Probation Service collects information on the number of offenders taking up a basic skills course as well as the number of literacy, language and numeracy awards that offenders in the community achieve. Targets are not broken down by level of award. Since 2002–03, targets and achievement have been as follows:
	
		
			 Community 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Basic skills 'starts' target 6,000 16,000 32,000 
			 Basic skills 'starts' achievement 5,983 14,971 34,199 
			 Basic skills awards target 1,000 4,000 8,000 
			 Basic skills awards achievement 848 2,815 9,451

Prison Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what target has been set by Offenders' Learning and Skills in relation to the number of prisoners undertaking Open University degrees by 2006; what progress has been made towards that target; and what resources have been made available to realise the target.

Phil Hope: There is no target for Open University participation by offender learners.
	However, we have provided funding to increase the number of Open University undergraduate places and access courses for offenders in custody from 450 in 2002–03 to 1,100 in 2004–05. In 2005–06 we are providing £1,048,050 in order to support 1,300 Open University undergraduate places and access courses for offender learners in custody.

Pupil Exclusions

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have been excluded from each school in the Easington constituency in each year since 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is given in the table. Figures for 2003/04 will be available from 23 June 2005.
	
		Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools: number and percentage of permanent exclusions 1999/2000 to 2002/03, Easington parliamentary constituency
		
			   1999/2000 2000/01(43) 2001–02(43) 2002–03(43) 
			 URN Establishment name No. % No. % No. % No. % 
		
		
			  Total 14 0.10 14 0.11 11 0.08 15 0.12 
			 114202 Murton Primary School (45)— (45)— 0 0.00 0 0.00 (45)— (45)— 
			 114286 Seaham School of Technology 4 0.36 (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 
			 114313 Dene Community School of Technology (45)— (45)— 4 0.54 (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 
			 114314 Shotton Hall School 4 0.38 (45)— (45)— 0 0.00 (45)— (45)— 
			 114318 Easington Community School (45)— (45)— 4 0.39 5 0.51 5 0.53 
			 114346 Glendene School (45)— (45)— 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 
			 114145 Haswell Primary School 0 0.00 (45)— (45)— 0 0.00 (45)— (45)— 
			 114327 Peterlee St. Bede's Catholic Comprehensive School 0 0.00 (45)— (45)— (45)— (45)— 0 0.00 
		
	
	(43) There are known quality issues with exclusions data for these years. Figures shown here are as reported by schools but are unconfirmed and should be used with caution.
	(44) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils on the school roll in January of the same school year. Excludes dually registered pupils.
	(45) Less than 3, or a rate based on less than 3.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Pupil Exclusions

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school age children were permanently excluded for bringing knives or other offensive weapons into schools in each year between 1997–98 and 2004–05.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is not available.
	We have recently started to collect reasons for exclusions. First findings for the 2003/04 academic year will be published in a Statistical First Release on 23 June 2005. This will include information on the number of permanent exclusions by reason, although there will not be a specific category relating to possession of knives and other offensive weapons.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of staff in her Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Maria Eagle: Our ongoing programme of staff awareness training (for all staff) on the Race Relations Amendment Act began before the Act was passed and the specific duties had to be implemented. We continue to offer regularly updated guidance i.e. on line and in person.
	We measure the positive impact of mainstreaming equality and diversity throughout our programmes, through data collection and analysing feedback on participation. Key tools to measure progress are the DfES Staff Survey and the Learning Academy evaluation strategy. As part of these we collect and analyse information on the ethnic breakdown of people applying for and taking part in learning activities. If results show disparities, we take action to investigate and, as appropriate, remedy the situation.
	Further detail on our approach to monitoring and learning and development can be found on the DfES website in the Race Equality Scheme.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of her Department comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Maria Eagle: Our arrangements involve mainstreaming Race Equality Impact Assessments into the policy-making process for all of our programmes and policies. On line guidance is available to policy teams in our equality proofing web tool Fairway".
	DfES provides strategic direction to delivery partners. Our key delivery partners have their own Race Equality Schemes. We require partners who implement DfES policies to fulfil the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act.
	Further details can be found in the recently published DfES Race Equality Scheme and its summary of Race Equality Impact Assessments on the DfES website.

School Building

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost is of projects under waves 1 to 3 of the Building Schools for the Future programme for the special schools sector.

Jacqui Smith: The local authorities in waves 1 to 3 of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme are all at different stages of developing their proposals. Costs of each project are only identified as they proceed through procurement and are not finalised until contract signature.
	Costs for all special schools in BSF are being reviewed in the context of the current consultation on revised design guidance in the form of Building Bulletin 77: Designing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Schools. However, we have identified resources to fund the special schools in waves one to three at the new standard, once finalised, from within the BSF budget.

School Meals

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average spending per meal per pupil for school meals was in (a) England and (b) Hartlepool in the last period for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not currently collected centrally.

School Meals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answers of 13 June 2005, ref. 3581, what proportion of the £220 million funding grant to transform school meals is intended for (a) food ingredients and (b) re-training of school catering staff.

Jacqui Smith: Over the three years 2005–06 to 2007–08, all maintained schools in England will receive a share of the £220 million set aside to help local education authorities and schools strengthen their support for healthy eating and to provide better quality food. Of this, £30 million each year will go to schools. This money will not be ring-fenced, but it is intended to help meet transitional costs involved in developing and improving their whole school" approach to food. This might include, for example, revisiting the whole school approach, reviewing meals provision, retraining school meals staff or preparing for healthy schools" accreditation.
	£30/50/50 million will go to LEAs, ring-fenced for improving the quality of school meals and other food provided by schools, with an emphasis on supporting schools in deprived areas and schools starting from a low base. The first call on this money will be transition funding to help schools provide meals with ingredients costing 50p or more in primary schools, and 60p or more in secondary schools.
	The first instalment of this additional funding will be available to schools and LEAs this autumn. Further details about the distribution of both grants between individual LEAs and schools will be announced over the summer.

School Standards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she will take to make parents partners in raising school standards.

Jacqui Smith: There is a wealth of evidence that parental involvement in their children's education (in the form of good parenting in the home) has a strong and positive impact on their child's education, even controlling for other factors that influence attainment such as social class. Since 1997, we have sought to enhance parental involvement in children's learning through a range of measures targeted at parents and schools. These include information for parents such as videos, DVDs, the Learning Journey" guides, the Parents Centre website, and funding for help lines offering advice on educational issues; and materials for schools such as the Involving Parents, Raising Achievement" toolkit, and others disseminated through the Primary and Key Stage 3 National Strategies. The Government have elevated the priority of effective parental engagement by requiring all schools to address it explicitly within the self evaluation form that will underpin the new inspection regime to take effect from this autumn. Ofsted inspectors will seek the views of parents and must have regard to those views when conducting an inspection. Inspectors will use this information alongside the evidence provided in the self evaluation form to assess how effectively the school is working in partnership with parents. In assessing the quality of provision, inspectors will also evaluate the involvement of parents in their children's learning and development. The new style inspection reports have been designed with parents' needs specifically in mind.
	We are currently considering how we can best capitalise on and further increase the contribution parents make to raising educational standards.

Special Schools

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what longitudinal research her Department has collated on the life time experiences of students who attended specialist schools for moderate learning disabilities and similar students who were included into mainstream schools; and what the basis has been for the closure of moderate learning disabilities schools.

Maria Eagle: The Department has not investigated the life time experiences of SEN pupils with moderate learning difficulties who attend special schools compared with those who went to mainstream schools. Comparing pupils from the two settings to give a comparison is not a valid exercise as these pupils have different characteristics and needs.
	The Department is concerned about the outcomes for pupils who attend special schools and in 1999 commissioned a longitudinal study of pupils with special educational needs leaving compulsory education at the age of 16. About a quarter of the pupils in the study were classified as having moderate learning difficulty.
	The study investigated pupils' expectations and aspirations towards transitions and their subsequent experience and attitude toward education, employment and independent living. The first baseline report was published in 2001, with a first follow up report published in 2004. Parents and carers were also interviewed. The final Wave 3 report, based on over a thousand follow up interviews, will be published at the end of July 2005. The Department has used the findings from this study to develop policy to help pupils with Special Educational Needs make successful transitions from school.
	Special schools have a role to play in the provision for pupils with special educational needs but school closures are a matter for local provision based on local decision making processes.

Special Schools

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the special schools in England, broken down by (a) geographical area and (b) specialisation.

Maria Eagle: The requested information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Student Finance

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions her Department has had with the Open University about the effect of the new student funding system on part-time undergraduate students;
	(2)  when she expects the Higher Education Funding Council to announce additional funding for the Open University to compensate for the effects of the new funding regime on part-time undergraduate students.

Bill Rammell: Over the last 12 months, Ministers and officials have met regularly with the Open University to consider a range of issues, including the changes to the funding system which will be introduced in 2006/07. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has considered representations from the Open University and Birkbeck College for special funding in response to their concerns about the impact of variable fees on large scale providers of part-time undergraduate higher education. The Council announced its findings on 1 March. These included a commitment to develop a widening participation measure, from the 2006/07 academic year, designed to ensure that the most disadvantaged students will continue to be able to study on a part-time basis. Details of the measure will be confirmed by the HEFCE Board in the autumn. Both the Government and HEFCE continue to monitor the sector, holding discussions with the Open University and other institutions, to ensure that available funding is used to support part-time provision in the most effective way.

Teacher Training

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the recent change has been in the resources given by the Teacher Training Agency to the Return to Teaching scheme; and what the change in places available for former teachers on training courses will be;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the contribution retrained former teachers have made to the education system in the last 12 months;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effect the policy change of the Teacher Training Agency towards the Return to Teaching programme will have on providers of training;
	(4)  if she will list the subjects for which the TeacherTraining Agency still fund Return to Teaching courses.

Jacqui Smith: In allocating resources to the Teacher Training Agency, the Secretary of State gives the agency a degree of discretion in how it deploys some of those resources to achieve the recruitment to teacher training and teaching required to meet the targets set it. Each year, the agency considers the data on the enduring challenges to recruitment and adapts its deployment of resources accordingly.
	Slow recruitment to the Returners Programme and falling primary vacancies have led the agency to reduce the sums allocated to the Returners Programme for 2005–06, from £5.5 million to just over £3.5 million, with a target of 1,400 places to be filled compared with the 1,547 places filled (from a target of 2000) in 2004–05. It is properly ensuring that resources deployed secure best value for money.
	The figures are not yet available on the contribution retrained former teachers have made to the education system in the last 12 months. However, for the 12 months to March 2003, according to the DfES survey data, returning teachers made up 29 per cent. of the total inflows to the work force (12,200 out of a total inflow of 41,900). Of these, 1,586 had attended Returners courses.
	Primary Returners course provision has been reduced across the country. Every provider successfully running a course in 2004–05 has a course programme, although the numbers of courses commissioned from some providers has been reduced, to ensure better value for money.
	The TTA are still funding both primary and secondary courses. The subjects offered include all secondary subjects, but providers are asked to prioritise shortage subjects such as maths, science and modern languages.

Tennis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to encourage schools to develop and promote tennis.

Jacqui Smith: As part of the national strategy for PE, School Sport and Club Links, the Lawn Tennis Association is receiving £805,000 to allow them to build sustainable high quality links between School Sport Partnerships and accredited clubs. Funding of National Governing Bodies of Sport through Whole Sport Plans will of course also have a major impact on junior participation.
	Data taken from the 2003/04 PE, School Sport and Club Links Survey showed that 70 per cent. of the 6,500 schools taking part provide tennis to their pupils and 27 per cent. have a link to a local tennis club. This is the sixth most popular school to club link.

Tuition Fees

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the likely debt of graduates from higher education institutions in England from (a) low, (b) medium and (c) high income backgrounds from 2009–10, broken down by (i) fee and (ii) maintenance loans.

Bill Rammell: Debt will depend on the financial circumstances and choices of individual students. Information from the Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) 2002/03 indicated that average total student debt on graduation was £8,666: £10,198 for students from the lower, £9,288 for those from the middle and £7,952 for those from the higher socio-economic classes. The 2004/05 SIES, published at the end of 2005, will give up-to-date figures.
	The introduction of loans for variable fees of up to £3,000 will increase the amount the average student borrows. However, those receiving the new maintenance grants and university bursaries could use them to reduce their call on loans for fees. Students generally may also seek to pay fee contributions from part-time work or family income.
	Changes to maintenance loans levels could reduce rather than increase student indebtedness for many poorer students. Although maintenance loans will rise in 2006/07 to reflect the median of essential living costs expenditure recorded in the SIES 2002/03, a bigger change will be the substitution of a significant part of the new £2,700 maintenance grant for maintenance loans for lower income students, reducing the need to borrow.
	It is therefore very difficult to estimate student indebtedness from 2009/10 now. We will be monitoring changes in borrowing patterns as the new student support arrangements come in.
	Whatever a student's circumstances, no student from 2006/07 has to pay fees upfront and the arrangements for repayment of maintenance and fee loans are fair and equitable. The graduate's repayments are at zero real rate of interest, related directly to earnings and only required when earnings are greater than £15,000 per year.

Workforce Agreements (Schools)

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress towards implementation of the workforce agreement for schools.

Jacqui Smith: The first two phases of the National Agreement Raising Standards and Tackling Workload have already taken effect in schools. The third and final phase takes effect in September 2005 and will provide, among other things, guaranteed planning, preparation and assessment time for teachers. The signatories to the Agreement—school work force unions, employers and Government—are working with the National Remodelling Team, offering advice, guidance and support, to ensure continued successful implementation in schools.

HEALTH

Agency Nursing Staff

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agency nurses were employed by the NHS in (a) Haltemprice and Howden, (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the past five years; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: Information is not available centrally in the form requested, but for England, expenditure on non-national health service nursing, midwifery and health visiting, which includes agency and other staff, is shown in the following table.
	
		£
		
			  England 
		
		
			 1999–2000 361,656,683 
			 2000–01 435,431,882 
			 2001–02 554,323,821 
			 2002–03 589,738,042 
			 2003–04 524,675,129 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 2003–04 is the latest date for which data are available.
	2. Data relate to non-NHS staff: nursing, midwifery and health visiting, which cannot be broken down further.
	Sources:
	Annual financial returns of health authorities 1999–2000 to 2001–02.
	Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities 2002–03 and 2003–04.
	Annual financial returns of primary care trusts 2000–01 to 2003–04.
	Annual financial returns of NHS trusts 1999–2000 to 2003–04.

Agency Nursing Staff

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the national health service spent on hiring agency nursing staff in each of the last 18 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information is not available centrally in the form requested but, for England, expenditure on non-national health service nursing, midwifery and health visiting, which includes agency and other staff, for the last two financial years for which figures are available are shown in the table.
	
		Non-NHS staff: nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff—England
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2002–03 589,738,042 
			 2003–04 524,675,129 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts 2002–3 and 2003–04.
	The figures show that spend is down by £65 million, or 11 per cent., in 2003–04 due to:
	increasing flexible working patterns;
	expanding the NHS nursing workforce;
	implementing agency framework agreements;
	establishing NHS Professionals as a special health authority.

Alcohol (Young People)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged between 11 and 15 years have been admitted to hospital owing to alcohol-related problems in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The numbers of children aged between 11 and 15 years who have been admitted to hospital owing to alcohol-related problems in each year since 1997 are shown in the table.
	
		Counts of finished in-year admissions where there was a primary diagnosis code or cause code for selected alcohol related diseases, age at admission between 11–15 years, national health service hospitals, England, 1997–98 to 2003–04
		
			 Primary diagnosis 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 F10 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol 2,455 2,324 2,949 2,902 2,972 2,745 3,216 
			 K70 Alcoholic liver disease — — 1 1 — — 1 
			 T51 Toxic effect of alcohol 894 737 760 736 691 561 542 
			 X45 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol 554 457 481 533 439 300 272

Allergies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Health Select Committee to improve the diagnosis and treatment provided by the NHS for people suffering with allergies.

Liam Byrne: In its response to the Health Committee report on the provision of allergy services, the Government undertook to carry out a review of the available data and research on the epidemiology of allergic conditions, the demand for and provision of treatment and the effectiveness of relevant interventions. The chief medical officer is overseeing this review of the evidence, which we hope to complete by the end of June 2006. It will inform decisions about what steps could be taken to address any gaps and pressures that it reveals.

Ambulance Service

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on ensuring that ambulance response times are recorded consistently across all ambulance trusts.

Liam Byrne: The Department issues annual guidance to ambulance trusts setting out how response times should be reported. This is updated annually. In addition, since 1 April 2005, ambulance trusts have been required to standardise how calls are categorised, in order to further improve consistency of response.
	The Department recognises the need for further clarification regarding definitions of ambulance response times. The current strategic review of ambulance services is considering this, and we hope to publish the review's findings shortly.

Ambulance Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve the efficiency of the ambulance service.

Liam Byrne: The Department last year commissioned Peter Bradley CBE, Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service national health service trust and National Ambulance Adviser to the Department, to lead a strategic review of ambulance services in England. One of the subjects the review is considering is how to support improvements in the efficiency of ambulance services. We hope to publish the review by the summer recess.

Antipsychotic Medication

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued in each of the last five years for (a) atypical, (b) traditional and (c) all antipsychotic medication in each (i) region and (ii) health authority for (A) 0 to 15 years, (B) 16 to 59 years and (C) 60 years and over age groups.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available in the requested format.
	Information on the number of prescription items for atypical, traditional and all antipsychotic drugs dispensed in the community in each strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCTs) in England since 2001 has been placed in the Library. Data are not available for 1999 and 2000. The information has been broken down by age groups where possible and the year on year percentage changes recorded.
	The information does not include prescriptions dispensed in hospitals or mental health trusts. Given that a large proportion of antipsychotic medication is dispensed in hospitals and mental health trusts, this data should not be used to compare PCTs' prescribing practices.

Asthma

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of asthma have been recorded in each month since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Hospital episode statistics data on the number of finished consultant episodes are not available monthly.
	Annual figures, for England, with a primary diagnosis of asthma are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of finished consultant episodes for asthma 
		
		
			 1998–99 69,725 
			 1999–2000 65,164 
			 2000–01 61,264 
			 2001–02 63,067 
			 2002–03 62,273 
			 2003–04 70,129

Breastfeeding

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the training provided for those training to be (a) a midwife and (b) a health visitor in respect of breastfeeding.

Liam Byrne: This is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the regulatory body that sets standards for nursing and midwifery training and approves the education institutions that provide the training and determine the curricula.

Cervical Smear Tests

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of smear tests in England resulted in women being recalled as a result of inadequate smears in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of cervical tests taken, the number of inadequate tests and the proportion that were inadequate between 2000–01 and 2003–04 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total number of smear tests Number of inadequate smear tests Number of inadequate smear tests as percentage 
		
		
			 2003–04 4,031,885 370,138 9.2 
			 2002–03 4,154,546 384,940 9.3 
			 2001–02 4,371,561 396,164 9.1 
			 2000–01 4,089,440 391,468 9.6 
		
	
	Being recalled to have a second cervical screening test because the first was inadequate can be a stressful and anxious time for women. To reduce this uncertainty we are introducing liquid based cytology (LBC) to the national health service cervical screening programme. LBC is a new way of making and reading cervical test slides. Government-funded pilot studies have shown that LBC reduces the rate of inadequate tests from around 9 per cent. to between 1 and 2 per cent. This means that, when fully implemented, 300,000 women a year will not be called back because their slide could not be read.

Chronic Fatigue

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the research project undertaken by North Bristol NHS trust on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Chronic Fatigue; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The project funded by the national health service health technology assessment programme, Cognitive behavioural therapy in chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomised controlled trial of an outpatient group programme", for which the grant holder is the North Bristol NHS trust, has been allocated a total of £75,432.

Chronic Fatigue

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned on the (a) physical causes and (b) treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; and how much has been spent on such research in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	The MRC does not normally allocate funds to particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. When appropriate, high quality research in particular areas of strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds, but research excellence and importance to health continues to be the primary considerations in funding decisions. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.
	The MRC is currently funding two complementary trials into various treatment options for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) that aim to improve quality of life for those who are ill. The Department is meeting part of the cost of the trials, to which £4.2 million in total has been allocated. Patient recruitment began toward the end of last year.
	Since 1998, the Department has separately commissioned and funded a number of small scale research projects related to aspects of CFS/ME at a total cost of £293,000.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is, however, devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including some concerned with myalgic encephalomyelitis, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Clostridium Difficile

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the prevalence of clostridium difficile bacterium at Stoke Mandeville Hospital; and whether she has instigated an inquiry into fatalities there.

Jane Kennedy: As the outbreak is still being investigated, complete data are not available but the major cause of this outbreak appears to be a virulent strain of clostridium difficile. Our first priority is to resolve the current situation at the hospital and both the Department and Health Protection Agency are in close contact with the trust. However, officials are speaking to the Healthcare Commission about possible terms of reference and scope for an investigation.

Dentistry

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many registered NHS dentists there are in Hertford and Stortford constituency;
	(2)  how many additional NHS dentists she expects to become registered during 2005–06 in Hertford and Stortford constituency;
	(3)  what actions her Department has taken to enable NHS dentists to reduce waiting lists in Hertford and Stortford constituency.

Rosie Winterton: As at 31 March 2005, there were 141 registered national health service dentists in the Hertford and Stortford constituency, which is covered by Royston, Buntingford and Bishops Stortford Primary Care Trust (PCT) and South Hertfordshire PCT. This information was provided by the dental practice board and relates to dentists whose practice address postcode is within the constituency boundary.
	Royston, Buntingford and Bishops Stortford PCT expect 2.5 whole time equivalent (WTE) dentists to become registered during 2005–06, resulting in 4,500 new patient registrations.
	South East Hertfordshire PCT expects 6.6 WTE dentists to become registered during 2005–06, resulting in 11,900 new patient registrations.
	It is anticipated that the appointment of these additional dentists will have a significant impact on the number of patients waiting to see a dentist.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish for consultation the Department's review of dental patient charges.

Rosie Winterton: A dental charges working group, led by Harry Cayton, the Department's Director for Patients and the Public, submitted proposals for a new system of dental patient charges to the Department in March 2004. These proposals are being considered alongside information about the effects of the new pilot dental contracts on treatment patterns. The written ministerial statement in January indicated that we would be consulting on a new system of dental charges in the summer.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the NHS IT system for NHS dentistry; and whether dentists will (a) have access to the NHS Net and (b) have access to electronic patient records.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 June 2005
	Work continues to finalise functional requirements for clinical information technology systems in both primary and secondary care and to ensure that solutions will integrate with the wider national programme for information technology. These requirements will be informed by the new contractual arrangements for primary care dentistry.
	In addition, a programme of work is in hand to specify and procure a clinical information system for use in the dental hospitals of England. Part of this work will involve early definition of the dental component of the national care record system, with access to the care record for general dental practitioners likely to be in the later stages of the programme.
	A pilot project is also under way to explore 'choose and book' functionality for primary care dentistry. A programme team has now been appointed and the 200 practices taking part in the field trials will be connected to the new national health service national network, N3. Discussions are under way regarding proposals to include general dental practitioners in the NHS Contact email service.

Dentistry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent NHS dentists have been employed in North Shropshire constituency in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on a whole time equivalent basis is not available, as dentists are able to vary the amount of hours they work and to vary their national health service commitment. Many dentists do some private work. In North Shropshire constituency, the numbers of NHS dentists, as at 31 December each year, were:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 31 
			 2001 31 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 33 
			 2004 36 
		
	
	Note:
	This data comes from the Dental Practice Board and relates to the number of dentists working in the general dental service and personal dental service in North Shropshire.

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the allocated capital funding for years (a) one and (b) two has been spent on digital cameras and related software for the screening of people with diabetes.

Rosie Winterton: Information is collected in the accounts of national health service bodies on capital spending by the Department. However, this is at an aggregated level and cannot identify individual items or types of items within the overall categories of software and information technology equipment purchases.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what checks are made to ensure that private diagnostic and treatment centres are complying with her Department's requirement that none of their staff have worked for the NHS in the preceding six months;
	(2)  whether the restrictions on private diagnostic and treatment centres recruiting NHS staff applies to agency staff working in the NHS.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 June 2005
	Independent sector providers report to the Department monthly on a wide range of performance indicators including additionality. Independent sector providers are contractually obliged to ensure that additional staff working in independent sector treatment centres have not worked in the national health service for the previous six months. Regular joint service reviews are conducted on the data that are submitted and should any breaches or waivers be revealed the Department would investigate these.
	The employment of agency staff by independent sector treatment centres is a matter for the independent sector provider as an employer.

Digital Hearing Aids

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time is for patients to be fitted with a digital hearing aid at the Royal Surrey County Hospital;
	(2)  what representations she has received on the change in her Department's national guidelines on the fitting of digital hearing aids; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  for what reasons patients fitted with analogue hearing aids in the past three years are ineligible to be fitted with digital hearing aids; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 June 2005
	Information on waiting times is not held centrally.
	There have been no changes to the national guidelines for fitting digital hearing aids since this Government became the first to make digital hearing aids free of charge in September 2000.
	General guidelines issued by the modernisation hearing aid services (MHAS) programme include a recommendation that patients who have been fitted with, or offered, a hearing aid through the NHS service for the first time within the previous three years should be offered a digital aid only when they are reassessed and found to need new aids. These guideline are intended to ensure that the needs of people without a hearing aid and those with older hearing aids are addressed before the needs of people with a recently fitted aid. Use of these guidelines is subject to local clinical discretion.

Direct Payments (Disabled People)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will simplify the paperwork relating to the qualification for and management of direct payments for people with long-term disabilities.

Liam Byrne: The Department is aware that some people are deterred from taking up direct payments because of the paperwork involved in becoming an employer. This is why we introduced the direct payments development fund in 2003. The fund is worth £3 million each year over three years. It aims to support voluntary organisations in partnership with their local councils in building up the support services we have learnt are fundamental to the success of direct payments.
	In addition, following the publication of the Green Paper, Independence, Well-being and Choice", we are consulting on the viability of a new approach. It would offer the real benefit of choice and the control of direct payments without the potential burdens. This approach involves individual budgets which are held by the local authority on behalf of the person using services and who would work with them to arrange the appropriate support.

Fertility Treatment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance her Department has provided to (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts on the eligibility criteria for IVF treatment provided by the NHS since 25 February 2005;
	(2)  whether her Department has issued guidance to (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts on how to prioritise fertility treatment for patients according to social criteria;
	(3)  what steps her Department has taken to assess compliance with the announcement on the availability of IVF treatment made by the then Secretary of State for Health on 25 February 2005;
	(4)  how many primary care trusts have produced clinical guidance on the availability of IVF treatment to women in their area following the announcement made by the then Secretary of State for Health on 25 February 2005.

Caroline Flint: On 26 February 2004, the Department's Chief Executive's bulletin to the national health service included the following:
	"NICE'S guideline on NHS fertility treatment services was published on 25 February. The Secretary of State has welcomed the guideline and advises as follows:
	the Department will be looking to PCTs who provide no IVF treatment to meet minimum national level of provision of one cycle of IVF by April 2005
	in the longer term he would expect the NHS to make progress to full implementation
	the priority is to help those in greatest need—that must mean couples who have no children living with them."
	The Department and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recognised that it would take time for the guideline to be fully implemented across the NHS. The primary responsibility for implementing NICE guidelines rests with the NHS at local level. The consideration that primary care trusts (PCTs) give to this is part of the range of factors that they, in liaison with local health bodies and patients groups, take into account in deciding their policy on the provision of treatment services for their locality. This policy will, quite rightly, reflect local health needs and priorities.
	Compliance with NICE guidance by NHS organisations will be considered by the Healthcare Commission during its review and performance assessment processes.
	We do not collect information centrally on the local provision of assisted treatment services or the guidance that PCTs issue about it.

Flexi-menus (Hospitals)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to establish pilots for flexi-menus in NHS hospitals, as described by the Minister of State, Lord Warner, in The Daily Telegraph on 16 March; and which NHS hospitals will conduct the pilots.

Jane Kennedy: Flexi-menu trials have recently been undertaken at Pilgrim Hospital, Lincolnshire, and Salisbury Hospital, Wiltshire. Further trials are also planned at Solihull Hospital, West Midlands, Central Middlesex Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, London, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich and Addenbrookes, Cambridge.

Foreign Nurses

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nurses were employed in the NHS in Staffordshire (a) in 1997, (b) in 2001 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available; and what percentage of the total those figures represent in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners (North Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent NHS general practitioners have been employed in North Shropshire constituency in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the requested format. However, information relating to the estimated numbers of full-time equivalent (fte) general medical practitioners, excluding retainers and registrars 1 , for Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) and Shropshire county primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the table.
	
		Estimated full-time equivalents
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 December 2004 
		
		
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 749 741 756 785 799 798 
			 Shropshire County PCT n/a 155 157 162 167 168 
		
	
	(46) General medical practitioners, excluding retainers and registrars, includes contracted general practitioners, general medical service (GMS) others and personal medical service (PMS) others. Prior to September 2004, this group included GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Data as at 30 September every year, except 31 December 2004
	n/a denotes not available.
	Fte data has been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 GMP workload survey
	For 1994–2003—contracted GPs—full-time =. 1.00 fte; three quarter time = 0.69 fte; job share = 0.65 fte; and half time = 0.60 fte; Other GP types full-time = 1.00 fte; part-time = 0.6 fte.
	For 2004—all GPs—full-time = 1.0 fte; part-time = 0.6 fte, and therefore may not be fully comparable with previous years.
	Fte GP retainers have been estimated using a factor of 0.12 per session for 1994–2004.
	Source:
	National health service health and social care information centre QMS and PMS statistics.

Genetic Testing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to reduce the time taken to undertake genetic testing.

Jane Kennedy: The 2003 genetics White Paper, Our inheritance, our future—realising the potential of genetics in the NHS", announced £18 million to upgrade national health service genetics laboratories in England. As a result of this increase in laboratory capacity, we expect that by 2006 genetic test results should be available:
	Within three days where the result is needed urgently, for example, for prenatal diagnosis.
	Within two weeks where the potential genetic mutation is already known, for example, because another family member have already been tested.
	Within eight weeks for unknown mutations in a large gene.
	This initiative builds on earlier investments by the Department, including £11 million in specialised genetics services from 2001 and two national genetic reference laboratories to explore the use of new technologies in NHS genetic laboratories. The genetics White Paper also announced that it would boost the future workforce in NHS genetic laboratories by funding up to 90 healthcare scientist trainees in genetics and 10 trainer posts.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to publish the results of the two-year review of genito-urinary medicine services undertaken by the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.

Caroline Flint: The review is expected to be completed in 2006, at which time the Department will consider when and how to disseminate the findings.

GP Practices

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) single-handed and (b) two or more partner general practitioner practices there were in Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust area on the latest date for which figures are available; and what percentage these practices represent of the total number of general practitioner practices in the primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of practices by practice size for Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust (PCT)—as at 30 September 2004
		
			 5DQ Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT Number (headcount) and percentages 
		
		
			 Total 24 
			 of which:  
			 Single handed practices(47) 9 
			 Practices with two or more partners 15 
			 Percentage of single handed practices 38 
			 Percentage of practices with two or more partners 63 
		
	
	(47) Figures cannot be calculated prior to 2004 for single handed practitioners, excluding GP registrars and GP retainers.
	Source:
	National health service health and social care information centre general and personal medical services statistics.

GP Practices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of routine appointment waiting times at general practitioner surgeries in Hornsey and Wood Green; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The NHS Plan states that, by December 2004, all patients will be able to see a primary care professional (PCP) within 24 hours and a general practitioner within 48 hours.
	The results for the Haringey Primary Care Trust May 2005 primary care access survey are:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 24 hour GP access 100 
			 48 hour PCP access 100

Heart Hospital, London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the recent closure of the Heart hospital, London.

Jane Kennedy: This is a matter for the chair of the University College London hospital national health service foundation trust. I have written to the chair, Peter Dixon. He will reply shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Hepatitis C

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to collate centrally information on the numbers of prisoners receiving treatment for hepatitis C.

Rosie Winterton: There are no present plans to do so.

Hepatology

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to establish regional centres of excellence for hepatology.

Liam Byrne: The Department has drawn the attention of specialised commissioning groups to the need to plan on the basis of the national definition for specialised hepatology services. In that context they will need to consider that some activities will be restricted to the seven liver transplant centres while other treatments should only be carried out at hepatology centres where the full range of multi-disciplinary support is available. Some local hospitals have developed expertise in a particular treatment and could be recognised appropriately as a centre for that particular treatment.

Hospital Cleanliness

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the use of ward sisters in the pursuit of cleanliness on hospital wards; and from whom those representations have been received.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has received no formal representations on this issue. We recognise that ward sisters have a key role to play in ensuring that hospitals are clean. A Matron's Charter: An Action Plan for Cleaner Hospitals", published in 2004 by all of the organisations representing nursing staff, re-emphasises the importance of involving ward sisters in establishing cleaning contracts and setting and monitoring standards of cleanliness.

Hospitals (Learning Disabilities)

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what hospital facilities were available (a) in the last financial year and (b) in each of the previous five years to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities (i) across the NHS and (ii) in the private sector.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 June 2005
	The national health service and private sector provides a variety of hospital facilities for people with learning disabilities. The figures available for NHS facilities are shown in the following table.
	
		Hospital inpatient activity: average daily number of available beds for learning disabled people; NHS trusts in England
		
			 Learning disabilities: 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Children: short stay — — 281 205 268 229 
			 Children: long stay — — 95 70 141 59 
			 Other ages: secure unit — — 431 407 508 514 
			 Other ages: short stay — — 1,323 1,374 1,117 1,210 
			 Other ages: long stay — — 4,186 3,639 3,003 3,199 
			 Total 6,834 6,834 6,316 5,694 5,038 5,212 
		
	
	Source:
	KH03 return, Department of Health
	With regard to private sector facilities, on 31 March 2004, the Healthcare Commission identified 46 private sector facilities registered as independent hospitals providing 968 beds for people with learning disabilities.
	Source: The Healthcare Commission, 2004

Incinerators

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned on the health effects of energy-from-waste incinerators.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned specific research into the health effects of energy-from-waste incinerators. Several studies of cancer rates near the older generation of waste incinerators have been undertaken by the small area health statistics unit (SAHSU). The Department is a co-funder of SAHSU, which is wholly funded by the Government. The expert advisory committee on the carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment considered these studies in March 20001, 2, 3 and concluded 4 that any potential risk of cancer due to residency near to municipal solid waste incinerators was exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern epidemiological techniques. The Committee agreed that, at the present time, there was no need for any further epidemiological investigations of cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators.
	In addition to the studies of cancer, Government-funded investigations in the 1980s found no association with birth defects around two ReChem waste incinerators in Wales5, 6, 7 and Scotland8, 9, although no firm conclusion could be drawn in the Scottish study 9 about the occurrence of the eye defect microphthalmos.
	Emissions from modern waste incinerators in the United Kingdom are subject to stringent controls which have been introduced since the periods covered by the studies noted.
	References:
	1 Elliott P, Hills M, Beresford J, Kleinschmidt I, Jolley D, Pattenden S, Rodrigues L, Westlake A, Rose G. Incidence of cancers of the larynx and lung near incinerators of waste solvents and oils in Great Britain. Lancet. 1992;339(8797):854–8.
	2 Elliott P, Shaddick G, Kleinschmidt I, Jolley D, Walls P, Beresford J, Grundy C. Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain. Br J Cancer. 1996;73(5):702–10.
	3 Elliott P, Eaton N, Shaddick G, Carter R. Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain. Part 2: histopathological and case-note review of primary liver cancer cases. Br J Cancer. 2000;82(5):1103–6.
	4 Department of Health, Food Standards Agency. Committees on toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment. Annual Report 2000. Committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment statement on cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain. London: Department of Health, Food Standards Agency, 2001. Br J Cancer. 2000 Mar;82(5):1103–6 Also available at the following website address: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/munipwst.htm
	5 Welsh Office. The incidence of congenital malformations in Wales, with particular reference to the district of Torfaen, Gwent. A Welsh Office review of notifications made to the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys. Cardiff: Welsh Office, 1985.
	6 Welsh Office. The incidence of congenital malformations in Wales, with particular reference to the district of Torfaen, Gwent. An updated analysis of notifications to the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys. Cardiff: Welsh Office, 1987.
	7 Laurence KM. Neural tube defect and polydactyly in Gwent. Cardiff: 1987.
	8 Scottish Home and Health Department. Bonnybridge/Denny morbidity review. (Report of independent review group; Chairman: Professor John Lenihan). Edinburgh: Scottish Home and Health Department, 1985
	9 Scottish Home and Health Department. Report of a working party on microphthalmos in the Forth Valley health board area. Edinburgh: Scottish Home and Health Department, 1988.

Lifestyle

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken and what plans she has to encourage people (a) to exercise and (b) to lead healthy lifestyles.

Caroline Flint: Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan", was published on 9 March 2005. The plan brings together all the commitments relating to physical activity in the Public Health White Paper, Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier", as well as further activity across Government, which will contribute to increasing levels of physical activity. This represents a cross-Government plan to co-ordinate action aimed at increasing levels of physical activity across the whole population—as recommended in Game Plan : A Strategy for delivering Government's sport and physical activity objectives", published by the Department of Culture Media and Sport and the Prime Ministers' strategy unit in 2002. Work is already under way to support the physical activity action plan, which includes:
	Publication of the Chief Medical Officer's report, At least Five A Week", in April 2004, setting out recommendations on activity levels sufficient for general health as well as more specific recommendations in relation to individual disease and conditions.
	The Department, together with the Countryside Agency and Sport England, sponsoring local exercise action pilots in 10 neighbourhood renewal areas, which are testing different community approaches to increasing physical activity in deprived areas.
	Publication of a guide for primary care trusts and football clubs to encourage good practice and foster links in health improvement work.
	The Department also published Delivering Choosing Health: Making Healthier Choices Easier" on 9 March. This overarching delivery plan will help more people make more healthy choices and reduce health inequalities, in particular through:
	The introduction from mid 2007 of Health Direct, which will be accessible via the existing NHS Direct web, telephone and digital television-based service and will provide a permanent one-stop shop of practical health improvement information, advice and decision-support tools to professionals and individuals.
	The provision of practical support to individuals through health trainers, who will be community based and who will help people develop their own personal health plans, provide advice and practical support to stop smoking, practise safer sex, deal with stress and access local services.

Macular Degeneration

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being undertaken into dry macular degeneration.

Liam Byrne: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	In 2002–03, the latest year for which figures are available, the MRC spent £5.9 million on vision research. This research includes a project on genetic susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The project aims to identify the genetic factors involved in AMD.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service and, through its health technology assessment programme, is undertaking a systematic review into the cost effectiveness of screening programmes for both wet and dry AMD.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects including a number concerned with AMD can be found on the national research register at: www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Medical Practice Funding (Shropshire)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical practices in the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust area are awaiting funding for relocation.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Capacity Act

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make available to Parliament the guidelines for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which are to be sent to all hospitals.

Rosie Winterton: The Mental Capacity Act will be accompanied by a code of practice. A draft code was laid before Parliament in September 2004. The revised draft will be subject to formal consultation in 2006 and the aim is to have the final code ready for implementation of the Act by April 2007.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she will give to commissioning authorities on the continued use and funding of licensed cancer drugs affected by the delay in their appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Jane Kennedy: In 1999, the Department issued Health Service Circular 1999/176, which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not yet been issued. These arrangements should include an assessment of the available evidence.

NHS Finance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each primary care trust its expenditure in the last financial year on out-of-area treatment for (a) people with a learning disability and (b) people with mental health problems.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 June 2005
	This information is not held centrally.

NHS Management Salaries (Hertfordshire)

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers working in Hertfordshire NHS trusts receive pay in excess of £100,000 per annum; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, this information is published in each trust's annual accounts, which can be accessed via each trust's individual website or by telephoning the individual trust who will send a copy out in the post.

NHS Staff

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the impact of staff availability on NHS capacity; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There has been a significant increase in national health service staffing with over 1.3 million people employed in September 2004, an increase of 272,000 or 26 per cent. since 1997 with greater devolution to NHS organisations in line with Shifting the Balance of Power. The approach to workforce planning is changing with greater reliance on credible local plans that maximise workforce capacity to support delivery. Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan: the Workforce Contribution highlights strategic workforce issues, which primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are asked to ensure are considered in their local delivery plans. This includes maintaining adequate staffing levels to maximise NHS capacity to deliver services.

Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Health Select Committee regarding (a) assisting people who suffer with obesity and (b) encouraging people to take action to stop them being obese.

Caroline Flint: The Health Select Committee's report made a major contribution to the development of our proposals for action in the White Paper, Choosing Health", published in November 2004. Obesity was one of the six overarching priorities of the White Paper and we were able to address very nearly all of the Committee's recommendations.
	The White Paper delivery plan, Delivering Choosing Health", together with national plans focusing on nutrition, Choosing a Better Diet", and physical activity, Choosing Activity", published in March 2005, set out the detail of how we will deliver our White Paper proposals and how they will contribute to delivery of the public service agreement target on obesity.

Overseas Doctors

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin concerning the process by which overseas doctors obtain visas following Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board qualification; and what the outcome was of those discussions.

Liam Byrne: The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin have had discussions with the Department about the immigration rules relating to doctors who are seeking employment in the United Kingdom. The Department is discussing their views with the Home Office.

Pennine Acute NHS Trust

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the recent vote of no confidence received by the Pennine Acute NHS trust board.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 June 2005
	I am aware that a vote of no confidence has been called at the Pennine Acute hospitals national health service trust. The postal ballot is due to close on 21 June. However, in line with the Department's Shifting the Balance of Power initiative, this matter needs to be resolved by the local NHS trust.

Primary Care (Hornsey and Wood Green)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds have been committed to improving access to primary care in Hornsey and Wood Green since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has supported Haringey Primary Care Trust (PCT) with a total of £1.3 million towards the cost of the North Middlesex national health service walk-in centre. However, under Shifting the Balance of Power" principles, it is for Haringey PCT to decide how much of its overall funding is committed to improving primary care access and how much to other priorities. Haringey PCT's investment decisions have enabled it to be able to report that, from December 2004, it has successfully delivered the primary care access target without denying local patients the opportunity to book appointments ahead.

Radiographers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the number of radiographers that will be employed in the NHS in each year until 2010.

Liam Byrne: Since 1999, the number of radiographers employed in the NHS has increased by 1,570 (13 per cent.) to 13,900 in 2004. The Government have substantially increased training places for radiographers and expect that there will be further increases in the radiography workforce, but no forecast numbers are available to 2010.

Rheumatology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received from the British Society for Rheumatology relating to the prevalence of postcode prescribing in the treatment of (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) ankylosing spondylitis and (c) psoriatic arthritis.

Liam Byrne: I have received a copy of a report entitled Access to anti-TNF Therapies for Adults with Inflammatory Arthritis", published jointly by the British Society for Rheumatology and the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

Self-harming

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were treated for self-harming in 2004.

Liam Byrne: Data for estimated finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of self-inflicted injury and/or poisoning by cause: children and adolescents in 2003–04 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Under 16 Aged 16–18 All episodes 
		
		
			 All completed injury and poisoning episodes 127,950 32,910 823,890 
			 Self-inflicted injury (X60-X84) 7,400 6,170 78,390 
			 Self-inflicted injury by solid/liquid substances (X60-X69) 6,810 5,830 73,290 
			 Intentional self harm—all methods (X70- X84) 590 330 5,100 
			 Injury undetermined whether accidental (Y10-Y34) 550 270 3,580 
			 All other causes (V01-X59, X85–09, Y35-Y98) 106,450 22,490 572,640 
			 No external cause given 13,550 3,990 169,290 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics, NHS health and social care information centre

Trent Strategic Health Authority

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) intensive care and (b) high dependency beds there were in the area administered by Trent Strategic Health Authority in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the daily cost per bed was for each kind of bed in that area in that year;
	(2)  what the total cost of patients in (a) intensive and (b) high dependency care in Trent Strategic Health Authority's area of administration was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what percentage of the total budget for NHS beds in that area in that year that figure represents.

Rosie Winterton: There were 62 intensive care beds and 65 high dependency care beds on 13 January 2005 within Trent Strategic Health Authority. This is the latest data available.
	On 15 January 2004 there were 60 intensive care beds and 58 high dependency beds.
	The following table shows the total cost and the average daily cost per bed in 2003–04 in Trent and nationally.
	
		
			  Total cost (£000) Average cost per unit per day in Trent (£) National average cost per unit per day (£) 
		
		
			 Intensive therapy unit/intensive care unit 23,154 1,378 1,328 
			 Neonatal intensive care unit—level 1 4,763 588 838 
			 Neonatal intensive care unit—level 2 2,397 721 560 
			 Special care baby unit 7,147 308 353 
			 Cardiac Intensive Care Unit 2,465 1,065 1,025 
			 Coronary care unit 6,042 516 457 
			 High dependency unit 7,211 565 584 
			 Paediatric intensive care unit 3,627 1,822 1,702 
			 Total 56,807 — — 
		
	
	Notes:
	Average cost is calculated by dividing total cost by occupied bed days to give an average cost per occupied bed day.
	Source data: Reference costs 2004 for financial year 2003–04.
	National average unit costs source data: national schedule of reference costs 2004 for financial year 2003–04, Appendix 1: National Health Service Trusts' own data.
	Source:
	Department of Health statistical return form KHO3a.
	The percentage that this represents, of the total budget for NHS beds in that area, is not held centrally.

Smoking-related Deaths

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the total number of deaths from smoking-related illnesses in people who are not smokers for the most recent period for which figures are available; and what proportion of these deaths were in people whose partners were smokers.

Caroline Flint: The scientific committee on tobacco and health (SCOTH) has reviewed the evidence on harm from second hand smoke, most recently in its report published alongside the White Paper Choosing Health", on 16 November 2004. SCOTH did not produce an estimate of the total number of deaths other than stating that there are several hundred extra lung cancer deaths a year" due to exposure to second hand smoke. SCOTH did not produce figures which estimated what proportion of deaths were in people whose partners were smokers. A copy of the SCOTH report is available in the Library.
	In March 2005, the British Medical Journal published a study by Professor K. Jamrozik, entitled, Estimate of deaths attributable to passive smoking among UK adults: database analysis". This concluded that:
	Across the United Kingdom as a whole, passive smoking at work is likely to be responsible for the deaths of more than two employed people per working day (617 deaths per year), including 54 deaths in the hospitality industry each year. Each year passive smoking at home might account for another 2700 deaths in persons aged 20–64 years and 8000 deaths among people aged 65 and over."
	A copy of the study is available in the Library.